


The Morning Workout Show!

by MadBanana



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: DRILL SERGEANT MATT, F/F, F/M, Jidge!?, Kidge - Freeform, Multi, Pidge the not-so-typical shoujo heroine and I'm here for it, Pining, Platonic Pallura, Shiro is a bit pricky here hmm, The gym AU people on my sideblog was asking for, Unexpected allurance, Unexpected leiffin, banana day fic, everyone is pining, here ya go!, hunk knows, plance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-23 13:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16620320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadBanana/pseuds/MadBanana
Summary: An unhealthy prank led Pidge to discover more about herself and several boys who are actually having a crush on her -- or at least some of them, thanks to Allura who wants to let her realize her worth as a woman before she leaves once they finally win the war.AKA the Gym AU that my followers (and lurkers) on Tumblr that they are all asking for thanks to the posts I made recently. Also my self-served banana day fic.





	1. First Session

**Author's Note:**

> Yoohoo!
> 
> So I considered this as a birthday fic for myself after several people via Tumblr dared me to write a fic based on a gym AU I came up out of boredom.
> 
> This is the result.
> 
> Set in the Garrison's gym on the aftermath of Season 7, a simple gym session turned into a shoujo-ish story using the prompts I came up in the same situation.
> 
> To losingallchill, kidgetrash, plance-plance-revolution, planceiswritteninthestarslol and all who ordered this (multichaptered) fic, here's yer order, and enjoy!

“You’re selling the hell out of us!?” Keith could feel his jaw drop after seeing Pidge just done selling one last ticket to one Garrison girl student.

“For a good cause,” Pidge was grinning, counting all the cash she got from taking ogling students into an opportunity. “Think of it this way: everyone likes a good show. Coran said that before. I thought of turning this into an opportunity to get some cash to make some repairs for Atlas, and what will remain will be given to charity. At least there’s a way for you to help a bit since we’re the Paladins of Voltron—”

“Come to think of it,” Lance also began to think, “you did a great job for that charity work—”

“That’s not good at all, Lance,” Shiro, however, was not so supportive of what she did that she faced Pidge. “Katie, what you’re doing isn’t charity, it’s exploitation. Do you think you could get away from it just because you’re a Paladin?”

Pidge bit her lip in guilt.

“I don’t want _this_ to reach Sam. Now, give those money back. And _start growing up_.”

Complete guilt crept to her that she handed the money to Atlas’s captain. “S-sorry, Shiro…”

“Besides,” he sighed as he gets the money, “you should be shaping yourself up, too. You’re a Paladin of Voltron and being short and just relying on your brain doesn’t give you an excuse.”

“Yeah, I know,” she looked downside, trying to avoid everyone’s eyes as Pidge headed inside the gym to train. “Sorry again…”

Keith, Lance and Hunk became silent as they watch her go inside to train by herself. Allura was watching everything that she felt pity towards her fellow female Paladin. “Do you think you’ve been harsh on her?” she whispered to Shiro.

“She’s close to eighteen,” he explained. “She knows her duties and her limitations. Our fight with the remaining Galra is still far from over,” and he followed Pidge. “We can’t just waste time on things like this.”

Everyone blinked. Since when did Shiro became as rigid as Keith? “Or I’m having this feeling that he and Keith just swapped personalities aside from leadership,” Hunk whispered to Lance.

“Or,” Lance whispered back, squinting his eyes on Keith, “Shiro’s not a fan on publicity. Remember what Coran did back when we’re doing a roadshow and told him to wear _that_ super tight shirt?”

“Hey, I hate being exploited, too, I just don’t wanna hurt her feelings.”

“Or,” Keith joined in, squinting at Lance, “you just wanna get exploited that you tried to defend her—”

“There’s a difference between exploitation and publicity. Maybe you’re not using the word correctly that Shiro ended up scolding Pidge because of you—”

“I didn’t complain to Shiro, I just asked why! You’re making the story up—”

“Admit it, you wanna be an idol too but you don't wanna ruin your leader image by siding with him—”

“If I am Shiro, I’ll scold her, too!”

“Why didn’t you do so instead of letting her getting scolded by someone else? Are you scared of hurting her?”

His ears turned red. “Do I have to ask that same question to _you_?”

Lance’s face smoked. “What!?”

“Keith! Lance! What are you doing!?”

Their heated bickering stopped when Shiro finally caught their attention and later realized that Hunk left them to join the others in the gym, trying to say away from unnecessary morning drama. Keith went ahead, hiding his embarassed face.

“D-don’t turn your back on me!” Lance followed. “We’re not yet done, mullet!”

*****

The Garrison’s gym was always packed with girls – cadets and officers alike – who wanted to watch Shiro working out three times a week at 7 AM.

Things have changed with the Paladins’ return from space. Now, the gym is thrice packed thrice a week at 7 AM just to see Keith, Lance and Hunk working out (thanks to Shiro who required them to do so) to the point that other innocent gymgoers – and them – are beginning to complain about the noise (except for Lance) and their lost of private time, in which Shiro didn’t mind. At first.

So Pidge thought of a (ridiculously good prank) idea: create and sell tickets to these people if they want to see their Paladin crushes working out. Proceeds will go to Atlas’ repairs and whatever that is left will be set aside to fund scholarships for kids who are financially challenged but deserved to be enlisted in the Garrison. Allura and even Romelle may have no idea what is going on, but after hearing Pidge’s plan, they supported it. At first.

Until Shiro finally decided to stop all the nonesense after remembering what Coran (who was under the influence of that nasty brainworm during their Voltron Show tour) told him about the super-tight shirt, in which, well, he wasn’t wrong about it nor right on one point that he has to scold Pidge in front of her friends. But he thought it’s for her own good. She is a Paladin of Voltron, and she is supposed to give a good example, but her childish ways still show up despite her advanced brain that he has to remind her to grow up just as what he said to Lance before.

It took him an hour before he realized his guilt on scolding her for that matter.

*****

Thanks to Shiro’s persuation, the Paladins were able to take advantage of the gym as part of their training, in which Allura finds it delightful while Keith couldn’t concentrate out of those people screaming their names.

It’s been two days since the ‘paid live viewing’ has been stopped and Pidge has, instead, focusing on working out her body with Shiro’s guidance, but she has been awfully quiet since that incident. Although training has finally become tolerable for Keith, he felt awful for not able to vouch for Pidge, although, in some sense, Shiro is right. So he thought of something that might cheer her up, since he has been noticing her training alone for the last couple of days.

“If you’ll walk in the treadmill like that,” Keith caught Pidge lazily walking the treadmill, “you could get seriously hurt.”

The little Paladin was seemed to be in a trance when she heard his voice that she lost a step and ended up losing her balance and was about to collapse if not for a certain raven-haired half-alien who caught her behind.

“Toldcha,” he warned her. It was a close call as Keith slowly helped Pidge to get off the treadmill and gave her a bottle of water to drink when she finally sat down in a nearby bench. But instead of being grateful, she just took the bottle, drank straight up, and sighed like he wasn’t there.

But Keith was determined to talk to her, even if it wasn’t his nature. So he sat down beside her. “Guess you haven’t gotten over with what happened two days ago?” he asked.

“If you’re only here to remind me of it,” she got irritated, “I’m not in the mood. I only meant it as a joke.”

“I know that you wanna just lighten things up, trying to help fix Atlas your way, but—”

“Shiro’s been like that after we fought that white Robeast and he’s getting as prickly as the first time we saw Allura, I get it. It’s just…”

She swung her legs as she tried to think of a few words to say to express her disappointment. But even with her own brilliant mind, she is at lost with how she will defend herself, because if it will be looked in other’s perspective, what she did was totally wrong.

“It’s surprising that Shiro’s expecting all of us to keep focused, especially you,” Keith said. “I remember how he looked at me the same way as he was looking at you now. We’re doing this for, like, four years, and we’re all aware of our duty as Paladins. In your case, you’re lucky.”

“What do you mean?”

“Shiro just wants you to realize your role as a Paladin. Back then, Shiro wants me to realize my responsibility as a future leader. Back then… I don’t want to. I know my limitations. I can’t replace him. Even until now. Until I began to realize that someone needs to take the mantle to continue what he had started.”

Pidge was aware that it was only after a while when they found out that Shiro has been appointed Keith as the new leader after they got separated from a corrupted wormhole jump. She knew that he saw something in Keith that he knew it can be developed aside from mentoring him personally during his days as a Garrison student. But Shiro’s approach towards her is different. She may have all the smarts in the universe, but she is still just a teenager about to explore what it feels to be one, and being scolded like that is such a shock for her – considering that Shiro is not within somebody’s control anymore.

“Can I be honest with you?” Pidge asked.

“Sure.”

“I’m just,” she sniffed, “just… tired.”

Keith surprisingly understood why, considering that they have been floating in space for four years, no wonder she has been acting so cool and chummy now that they are home.

“I understand that we still have a war to win,” she continued, “that technically, we are still Paladins of Voltron. I know that we can’t afford to lose time. But the point is, Keith, we are finally home. Sure they almost destroyed Earth but now we’re spending time like this, I thought of doing something to cheer up. I guess…”

She curled herself into a ball, which she normally does whenever she is sad.

“I’m just,” she sniffed again, “tired of fighting aliens. I now have my family back. We’re back here on Earth. We can finally live a normal life. I’m… I’m so tired.”

Keith’s heart broke to see Pidge cry over being so tired of everything, which he understood. He is as tired as her, but as the new leader of Team Voltron, he couldn’t just let her know about it. But she was quite honest about her feelings, and that is something he admired about her.

He just then remembered those hurtful words he said to the team when they were stranded in space and he has been twice guilty about it.

“I wanna be honest with you too,” he said to Pidge. “Remember when we get stranded back in space?”

“Yeah,” Pidge tried to forget. “That was crazy.”

“I know. What I said back then was far crazier. Maybe because I was so fed up at everything that has happened to us in the past years… Imagine if I have given up for good and left you behind… Been thinking I’ll die ahead of you if I did that…”

“If that happened at that time,” she looked at him, “it will be very painful and lonely.”

He realized that possibility. “I started to get scared thinking about it.”

“But that’s already in the past unless what Slav said realities might change,” Pidge joked, in which Keith finds it funny.

“It’s not bad having a little fun,” he said. “It’s just that I hate being sold like some kind of a cheap guy.”

“That’s why said I’m sorry,” Pidge confessed. “Or maybe Shiro hasn’t gotten over what Coran did to him.”

His ears perked upon hearing something interesting. “He haven’t told me _everything_!?”

“Guess he skipped the embarassing parts,” she grinned as she finally stood up, stretching herself.

“H-hey,” he blinked, “where’ya going?”

“Toilet,” she said. “I’ll be back to tell you everything—”

“Wait!” he also stood up, much to her surprise.

“W-what is it!?” she flushed. “I, I might not be able to hold it longer…”

“S-sorry, but this is just quick,” and it took him five seconds of scratching his cheek before he got the guts to speak. “S-since you’ve been doing some workouts by yourself… I don’t mind… being your trainer for a day.”

Pidge felt that her excretory system has calmed down when Keith suddenly offered himself to help her train, without realizing he has been observing her since that incident. Keith, meanwhile, couldn’t look at her directly to her face all of a sudden after giving such offer.

Knowing how genuine his sincerity is, she finally smiled after being down for two days. “You have a deal, then,” she said. “Thanks, Keith. I didn’t expect that from you.”

She left him totally flustered as she headed to the washroom.

Keith’s brain is jumbling up. He did it! He made Pidge smile again, something that he wasn’t an expert for and he was quite proud of it. It gave him some kind of energy to do another round of endurance training that he headed right away to the next room…

Until someone pushed him to the wall. It was so sudden and strong that it didn’t give him a chance to dodge.

“Back off, Kogane,” a familiar, domineering voice whispered to him, “no one will be my sister’s personal trainer but ME.”

As Keith opened his eyes, he later realized who cornered him: wearing black tank top and Garrison-prescribed sweatpants pinning him to the wall, glaring at him like he will rip his throat anytime while a random girl was screaming his name in delight as her consciousness fades away. Blinking and sweating coldly, the poor half-Galra realized they were been overheard by none other than…

"...M-Matt!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First session is closed. Now that Matt is in the picture, what will Keith do next?
> 
> Meanwhile, Lance became suspicious to find out that Keith actually offered himself to be Pidge's personal trainer that he decided to offer it to her as well. For Hunk, it's pure, unadulterated BS.
> 
> Second session will open soon!


	2. Second Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so Pidge needs to grow up, and shape up, Shiro said. Even if the war's starting to make her feel tired. Enter Keith, but things might not come up as planned when Matt showed up.
> 
> Second Session is now open!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An anonymous reader was concerned about Shiro and Matt here where, well, they were out of character. This next chapter's my answer to that.
> 
> And yeah, I thought of getting a beta reader on this, too.

“So what happened to Keith?” Pidge got confused when her own brother, Matt, showed up instead of the one she’s expecting while trying to calm herself amidst a pack of screaming and ogling girls in the gym window.

“He developed some kind of… tummyache,” Matt said, glancing at one side. “But don’t worry, li’l sister! I heard that you’ve been training with them for days alone, that’s no good, they’re not helping you at all!”

“Uh, Matt—”

“So you can have me instead! Let’s shape up so we can beat those Galra butt, ya with me?”

He has the same goofy, cocky grin despite that he underwent an ultimate glowup for the past three years, and anyone who will mess up will him will surely face their deaths early. For the first time, Pidge couldn’t refuse, since she will need one for some workout exercises she will need to master.

Meanwhile, Matt was blissfully happy that he will train her own little sister, but at the same time, worried, after finding out what happened two days ago, thanks to Keith.

_Flashback, yesterday._

“Trying to get cozy with my li’l sister, aren’t we?” Matt was glaring at Keith while pining him against the wall.

“I-it’s not what you think!” the half-Galra denied. “I’m trying to help her out! She’s been a little off lately, so…”

To prove his sincerity, Keith gently pushed Matt away to give him time to breathe and explain. “Pidge was… getting tired of all these wars. Well, it’s not just her, so she thought of something that irked Shiro up two days ago, so…”

Matt was silent while trying to listen to Keith’s explanation. He remember seeing Shiro down since yesterday and he wasn’t able to check on him that much due to rebel forces duties. Was that related to what happened two days ago?

“Has Shiro talked to you about this?” Matt was curious.

“He’s been on a series of meetings with members of the coalition with Allura,” Keith remembered. “Just so happened that he was free at that time. Actually, I’ve been thinking of talking to him after our meeting with the council from Eldran Belt, but Mom needs me here to look after the Paladins and the MFE pilots.”

“Is that so?” Matt began to think deeply. He was also curious as to what Shiro is up to, but considering his work right now, what he can only do is to squeeze his schedule to see others and to check what is happening in the Garrison. It just so happened that he is free for the whole week.

“I’m sorry,” Keith whispered. “I already promised to Pidge…”

It took Matt a while before he could come up with an idea. “You can join them in the meeting tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll take it from here.”

“You sure?” he blinked. “We both know how smart Pidge is. If you’ll cover for me, what’ll be your excuse?”

_Very. Lame. Excuse._

“Basically,” Pidge sighed while observing her brother’s actions, “you’re lying. So where did Keith went?”

Matt sighed. As expected from his sister, so he decided to tell the truth. “He went to a coalition meeting with Shiro and Allura. Basically he wants to talk to him about how he reacted to you two days ago.”

Hearing the truth from Matt only made her feel more guilty. “So he told you everything, huh,” she sighed.

“Don’t be upset with Keith, he’s trying to cheer you up,” and Matt sat beside her. “He’s one nice guy who will not let you down, I knew him since he first got in here.”

“But he doesn’t have to do that, I mean, Shiro is right, we’re this close in winning the war, there’s no time for goofing around,” and she looked at her own hands with self-contempt. “I’m not a child anymore. Well, I never regarded myself as one, and I decided to set that aside to find you and Dad. It’s just that I thought I – no, we can finally relax, but as usual, there are still some things that needs to be considered that we’ve really won. The team needs me more than ever.”

Matt’s plan to make Pidge happy (and distracted) has backfired, and he expected that, knowing how freaking smart and intelligent his sister is, he decided to shove it and instead lure her to a different subject.

“How about you prove to me that you’re a real Paladin of Voltron?” Matt stood up, offering his hand to Pidge. “I’ll be your trainer in Keith’s place.”

Pidge smiled simply, taking her brother’s hand and stood up. She thought of trying to follow what Shiro told her. War isn’t over yet, and she decided to cast away any leisure in the meantime to prepare.

She wasn’t aware, however, that Lance, who just arrived at the gym, overheard their conversation. He even managed to see Pidge’s pained yet determined face, the face of someone who just made a decision to dedicate their remaining time to prepare for another wave of possible Galra attacks, which affected her judgment following Shiro’s scolding. He began to worry that she won’t be able to enjoy things she will decide to abandon once the war is over.

*****

Keith just came back from the meeting and from the looks of his frowned face, things didn’t go so well. The meeting went well, of course...

But the problem is, Shiro was called for an emergency debriefing that he didn’t make it to the Coalition Meeting, and it was only Allura who faced them by herself. Feeling that she shouldn’t do it alone, Keith offered to be the Atlas Captain’s proxy.

_Hours ago._

“I understand that you wanted to come to the meeting to talk to Shiro alone,” Allura guessed while on the way to the meeting place. “I’m so sorry if I wasted your time.”

“N-no, no,” Keith shook his head, “j-just doing it as a Paladin. I thought of going to these kinds of meetings so I would be aware of what’s happening.”

“Don’t worry, once I have a chance to catch Shiro, I’ll definitely give him a piece of my mind especially after hurting Pidge like that. I know he’s pressured, but he just can’t vent out in front of a girl.”

“Y-you don’t have to go that far. If I’m Pidge, I wouldn’t agree just not to cause any more trouble. Besides, it’s been two days ago. Time to move on, I guess.”

The Altean smiled at how much the little half-Galra has matured for decaphoebes. He’s beginning to get a hang of being a calm leader. “Shiro really taught you well,” she said, as she tried to smile. “I’m just a little disappointed in him at that time.”

“It’ll soon be over,” Keith assured. “I know Shiro, he’ll realize what’s wrong.”

_He hopes so._

The Garrison’s gym pool currently houses no one since it’s a weekday and pool classes are held mostly on Fridays and weekends, so he thought of stopping by to take a swim. He took off his uniform and put on his swim shorts he saved in one of the lockers he rented before showering himself and plunged in.

For some reason, Keith’s mind was also swimming. All he wanted was to make amends with Pidge by doing what is necessary, but there are some circumstances in which things don’t go as planned or expected, like his plan to join the meeting only to end up with Shiro being not there. He felt stupid.

 _I should have not come,_ he regretted as he sunk his entire body in the water. When he finally emerged after a minute or two…

“Pidge has been expecting you, you know?”

He was startled that he almost flipped himself in the pool, only to see Lance on the edge wearing swimwear as well with a towel hanging on his shoulders. Good thing the raven-haired managed to cling on the pool’s rails for his dear life.

“What the quiznak are you doing here!?” Keith gasped for air.

“It’s the same thing I wanna ask you!” Lance was also as startled as him, trying to get away from the edge to avoid slipping into the pool. “Thought you’re in a—”

“The meeting’s over, it doesn’t have to last a whole day.”

That answers Lance’s question, so he didn’t ask another, instead gave him a piece of his mind right away about Pidge.

“She’s been waiting for you in the gym, you know,” he said. “I heard you offered yourself to be her personal trainer for a day but instead you asked her brother to proxy you. What kind of crappy attitude is that?”

It made Keith not to answer right away, but then he came up with a reply that made his so-called rival shut up. “Something came up so I have to make priorities,” he said.

Lance scoffed. “Bet you’re scared of hurting Pidge so you backed out—"

“Say what you wanna say. If you’re really fed up about what I did, why don’t you volunteer to train her yourself…?

Or you’re not comfortable since your Princess might not like it – but guess what: she’ll be leaving Earth as soon as the war’s over. She might not come back anymore.”

Keith’s reply and revelation made the Cuban slip from the edge and fell into the pool this time, while the half-Galra managed to avoid the fall by swimming beneath to reach the other edge before climbing back to the surface.

“H-hey! HEY!!!” Lance was screaming while trying to bring his balance back to the pool. “What did you say about Allura--!?”

“You ain’t deaf, right?” and Keith grabbed his towel near the benches. “If I were you, I’ll made up my mind, but you better make it quick.”

“Wh-what do you mean!?”

“Either way, your time’s running out. But I bet Allura already made up his mind.”

Keith left, drying himself while heading to the showers, losing his appetite for another swim while leaving Lance shouting like an idiot.

“Don’t talk to me in riddles, mullet!” he said. “What do you mean Allura’s leaving for good!? Why are you trying to push me towards Pidge!? I thought SHE LIKES YOU!?”

But he soon realized that he looked some kind of a total idiot screaming alone in the pool that he decided to swim to cool himself. But then…

_Glad you back out or if not, I swear I’ll strangle you if Pidge complains about any pain. I’ll take yer advice, Kogane. I’ll ask her myself!_

Little did he know that Keith heard the last thing Lance said that he went to the showers totally red.

*****

_Garrison Cafeteria._

Lance managed to vent out his anger at Hunk who was idly eating his potato salad while trying to listen to him. To Hunk, it was the same old complaint he was hearing from him and he was dead tired of hearing it again and again. Yet he managed to reply.

“Before you offer yourself to Pidge,” he began, “examine yourself first. You sure you’re credible to be a personal fitness trainer?”

The Cuban finds the question insulting. “Look,” he replied, “I’m part of the swim team before, of course I train! Besides, I don’t trust that guy. If he happened to stay behind, what if he’ll give Pidge drills that will cripple her?”

“Matt already volunteered. Besides, are you really planning to do that to Pidge or are you—”

He has enough. “I’M NOT JEALOUS OF KEITH--!”

“Boom. You said it.”

What did he exactly say? Did Hunk misheard it or was it just the truth? Either way, Lance had enough that he didn’t finish his meal. He was so red – either out of frustration or something else, that he wanted to take a break for a while.

“I’ve just altered the recipe,” Hunk seems offended, “you can’t just leave your food here!”

“Just take it,” he offered weakly. “I’m tired of eating,” and he pulled himself out of the bench and walked out.

“Listen, man,” he still added, “you can’t deny the fact that you’re liking Pidge! I know you’re still trying to get Allura, but face it, she’s not into you!”

Hunk wasn’t sure if Lance heard the last thing he said or he decided to play deaf. Meanwhile Lance was about to head back to class when he bumped into…

“A-Allura!” somehow his heart jumped with joy to see her around.

“Lance!” Allura was also as happy as him, but for some reason. “I’m glad that I’ve found you. We need to talk.”

He blinked at the offer, but because it’s _her_ who made the offer, “S-sure, Princess. Anytime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second Session is closed.
> 
> Allura decided to take the matters about Pidge in her own hands. With a little help, of course.
> 
> And Keith is right after all.
> 
> Third session will open soon!


	3. Third Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt was about to murder Keith when he found out the truth so he helped out by becoming Pidge's temporary trainer. Lance was alarmed at Keith that he planned on volunteering to be her trainer. Hunk has enough of his BS, so Allura decided to step up and end it once and for all.
> 
> Third session is now open!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was supposed to post a new chapter hours ago but things came up. Anyways, I managed to finish another chapter based on the prompts I did in my Gym AU.
> 
> This chapter sparked everyone's wish to make this into a fic -- and this just the first half of that much-talked prompt. Enjoy, bananas!

Lance is twice tired as ever.

Being a Paladin doesn’t mean they can now be excused for classes. In the last few hours, he was called several times when he wasn’t paying attention. He ended up taking three homeworks to finish the next day. And it all started when he and Allura had a heart-to-heart talk that broke his heart yet he understood.

That night in their room, Hunk almost choked on his muffin when Lance asked him for a little help in one subject, which, of course, he willingly did so. He was about to ask why, but seeing Lance’s face so determined to learn and pass the subject, he didn’t question it anymore. Hunk thought of getting the right time once his best friend goes back to his old self.

In the middle of the night, Hunk heard some sobs above him, since they sleep in bunk beds. He got up and saw Lance crying in his sleep. He was tempted to wake him up to ask him why, but he eventually woke up on his own.

“Having a bad dream?” Hunk asked. “You’ve been like that since the last period.”

Lance wiped his tears. “I really hate it when Keith is right,” he croaked.

“What do you mean?”

“Allura,” his lips were shaking. “She… She already knew my feelings, but she said she will be leaving once the war is over. And… she will not include me in her plans. I understand… but…”

He was shaking in bed. It was supposed to be okay. He supposed to understand and wasn’t suppose to cry, but of all the rejections he had, it was by far the most painful. He never cried like that before, and Hunk couldn’t help but to confort him throughout the night until he sleeps again.

*****

_The next day._

“So,” Pidge looked around the building’s interior, where she could see a slighly dimmed room filled with such nice scent and Buddhist-inspired décor, “this is where you wanna have a bonding moment?”

“Isn’t this perfect?” Allura said. “I sought advice from your mother on where Earthling women go to relax and she recommends this place. This seems newly-opened, so might as well take this opportunity to try what they offer.”

“Mom recommended _this_ place?” she blinked. “I remember some spa place she often mentioned back then. Maybe this is the place…”

“Allura thought of bringing you here to cheer you up,” Nadia said, stretching herself, “so here we are!”

“Building ambience is 95 percent near perfect for relaxation,” Ina scanned the place. “Lavender scent adds to the room’s serenity. Perfect enough to clear some emotional baggage.”

“We heard from Allura that you’ve been down for the past few quintents,” Romelle added, “so she planned this for you. Plus I haven’t been in this place before and I’m so excited!”

But Pidge doesn’t know what and how she will react to this gesture, although her body would like that to happen, but how it was related to what happened days ago is something she is quite concerned about, feeling that they have worsened a simple incident. Nevertheless, she agreed to join.

Little did she know that Allura became well-aware of her being the center of Keith and Lance’s attention that she decided to offer some help to her and to have a girl bonding moment…

Before she could say goodbye to Earth which have been her home along with her fellow Alteans for months to continue her diplomatic missions, now that she doesn’t have a crown and a title to hold.

Along with Romelle, and MFE pilots Nadia Rizavi and Ina Leifsdottir, they all agreed to help Pidge discover more about herself.

*****

First stop is the newly-renovated shopping mall where, of course, they will buy some clothes, but their number one priority is Pidge, so they bought some clothes mostly for her. Knowing that she stopped wearing girly clothes when she decided to disguise as a boy to investigate her family’s whereabouts, they thought that it’s time for her to revamp her wardrobe again.

Second, they went to a cake shop which Nadia highly recommended, and both Alteans find the cakes so delicious. Pidge has a thing for sweets, too, that Allura chose a giant parfait for Pidge, alone. They managed to share it together.

There were two other places they have visited, such as the renovated antique shop that Ina suggested, and the mini-zoo. Lastly, they stopped by the newly-renovated spa, in which Allura mentioned as their culminating activity. They changed into robes before entering the ultimate spa experience.

Pidge never experienced this kind of pampering before, and she has never been so relaxed that she totally forgot about what happened days ago. She was even so relaxed to think that there is something behind this day out. But while she is enjoying herself, Allura watches her smile again, muttering some science jargon that only Ina can decipher while Nadia tries to understand and Romelle goes on touching anything she is curious of.

As they enjoy the day, she remembered her conversation with Lance which made her decide to make Pidge happy.

*****

_Yesterday._

“So anything you wanna talk about?” Lance was smiling from ear to ear, since it has been a while since he and Allura had a private talk.

“Y-yes,” Allura replied, trying to look for a way to start the conversation. “T-to be honest, this is about Pidge.”

He blinked. Later on he somewhat figure out why she wanted to talk about Pidge, of all people. “Uh, is this related to what happened three days ago?”

“Kind of,” she said. “But it’s more than that,” she sighed. “What do you… think about her?”

His mouth parted in shock.

First, it was Keith. Then, it was Hunk. Now, it’s Allura. He couldn’t get as to why people are trying to get his opinion about Pidge to the point that they are shipping them together, which may have turned worse after Shiro scolded her.

“Wh-why are you asking that?” Lance remains oblivious. “Well,” since it was Allura who is asking him, might as well reply, “sh-she’s not bad, I mean… Pidge and I have been buddies since she came to the Garrison – back when I thought she’s a guy. She’s hecking smart and reliable. About what happened three days ago, I can even go on with her plan, I mean, I can let the girls see me for a little price if that will be for a good cause whether it’s a joke or not—”

“Do you like her?”

The question made him squeak in shock that his face became red as the Red Lion. “Uh, o-o-of course I do! I like her, she and Hunk, we’re best besties for life!”

Allura smiled at his answer, and suddenly leaned on the wall. “What will you do if,” she bit her lip, “if you find out that she’s been liking you since day one?”

Lance’s face remained red, but he turned grim when he heard the question. “Wh-why are you asking these questions?” he was curious and confused at the same time.

Her smile faded, thinking of the things the Space Mice told her. “A while back,” she decided to admit, “the mice told me about your feelings towards me.”

His heart is jumping too fast he might have a heart attack. He couldn’t even make a verbal nod to confirm, nor even deny about the mice part. Allura’s face were red as well, but she was wearing it with pain.

“I,” she sighed again, “I truly appreciate how you feel about me, on how you decided to stay quiet after what happened between me and Lotor, about how you have saved me from the radiation back when we visit one of the Galra’s facilities… I was so happy that you’re ready to catch me on the days that I was about to fall. However…

Knowing that my duty as a diplomat will not end yet even after this war ends, I’m afraid I won’t be able to answer your feelings at all.”

Lance was partly shocked and expecting at the same time. He knew that she won’t be able to respond to his feelings. At least he tried. But what hurts him is the fact that she was more than just a crush, and she was different from any woman, that made him fall for her so hard that he almost stopped flirting with girls altogether.

“Is that why,” he responded shakily, “you’re trying to introduce Pidge to me?”

“You may not believe it, but Pidge… she has been going through a lot and she’s been looking for someone to confort her. And it happened that she has been looking up to you. I have been noticing that ever since… Lance, she likes you. As more than a best friend. And I know that once I leave Earth to continue my mission as a diplomat, I know that you will be in good hands with her.”

Lance was speechless. He slowly remembered what Keith told him about Allura and, whether he admits it or not, he is right after all.

“B-but you leaving Earth!?” he tried to repeat what he heard. “I’ve been thinking that you will be happy here. You and Coran and Romelle, you can blend with humans well. After the war, you don’t have to go through that anymore--!”

“Remember that part of a Paladin’s duty is to spread peace and diplomacy. And before I became a Paladin, I was once a princess. This is the duty that my father passed unto me. This is _your_ home, Lance. Your mission is here, with your fellow human Paladins. Someone must travel across the universe to continue the mission, and that will be me.

I still want you to be happy. Not just you. Hunk, Pidge, Keith, Shiro… They also deserve happiness. And your happiness is in here. Believe me, it won’t be wise if you will come with me. Your family needs you…

_Pidge needs you.”_

Good things is, after that talk, Lance was able to accept it like a true Paladin should. What worries her is a possibility that he might still see Pidge as a little sister, which she understands considering how she and Lance met.

But Allura thought that now is the right time for her to help Pidge realize her own beauty and to let Lance see it himself. Thus the reason why she organized a girls’ day out especially to make Pidge happy.

*****

The girls finally hit the hot pool in their sexiest swimsuits since there is no boy who will stare at them while bathing. Surprisingly, Nadia has good taste in choosing swimsuits for each of them: she chose a navy blue sporty type for herself, a lavender haltered one-piece for Ina, a light blue floral haltered two-piece for Romelle (which she was having second thoughts wearing one) and a white and pink turtleneck for Allura. As for Pidge, it was Allura who chose one for her based on Nadia’s recommendations: an apple green ruffled bandeau type with matching butterfly headband, which made Nadia scream in awe. Pidge was speechless, either out of shame or because she doesn’t know how to thank them enough.

So while they were enjoying the bath, the girls were split into groups. Romelle was telling more of Altean culture to Nadia and Ina while settling on the other side of the pool, giving Allura to talk to Pidge alone.

“How is it so far?” she checked on her.

“Haven’t been relaxed like this, so thanks,” Pidge said, trying to hide her blushing face. “Although I’m not used being pampered like this…”

“Because you deserve it, silly!”

“I know that you’re all trying to cheer me up, I appreciate that,” and she looked at the Altean, “but you don’t have to do this.”

“Nonesense. Every woman deserves to be pampered. I know that we’re close to facing a war, so I thought of doing something with most of our time relaxing.”

“And Shiro?”

“I already took care of that. He wanted to say sorry for scolding you that day but he said he hasn’t been given a chance to stop by. Since the war is fast approaching, the Garrison has been busy as well. But I don’t think that’s a good excuse for him to shout at you.”

Her heart starts to grow full as some people like Keith and Allura are defending her from what Shiro did, although it was also clear that Pidge, too, made a mistake.

“You know what I did was wrong,” she cleared it out to Allura. “And somehow I understand Shiro as to why he has to scold me. We’re still in a war. All I have to do is to not do it again.”

What Pidge was worrying about is the fact that they are still in the war, they still have no right to relax. Yet here they are, in a hot pool, relaxing. Allura couldn’t help but to remember some memories back when they still have the Castle of Lions.

“Remember when you were trying to work as a team to form Voltron for the second time?” the Altean asked. “I had been pressuring you the entire day since we were trying to defeat Zarkon when we finally had the Lions complete. I was… in the same mental state Shiro is currently in when I was forcing you to work together. I even remembered how angry you were that ended up in a food goo fight.”

Pidge remembered it well that she chuckled. “It was a total mess!”

“I know!” Allura chuckled as well. “But now things have changed and we’ve learned a lot on the way… including me. Days like this aren’t so bad after all. I thought of bringing you girls here so we can spend time together before the final war breaks, at least to spend good memories with you,” and she looked at Pidge. “You are still young and you still have a lot of time to do things you haven’t done yet, so you don’t have to be so hard on yourself just because someone scolded you for being childish. That’s your nature, and I totally understand that you just want to lighten things up…

And I bet Lance taught you those things.”

Mentioning Lance’s name suddenly made Pidge’s entire skin turn red. “H-he’s the bad influence here!” she stuttered.

“But we should admit: Lance’s quirkness and jokes made every moment light for us even at times like this, and that is one positive trait that I liked him about. Even if he hurts himself, he makes sure that everyone is not.”

It starting to confuse her. “Wh-why are you bringing up Lance like that!? Don’t tell me you set this up to tell me about him!”

Suddenly, Allura’s eyes turned somber, downcasted, as she looked herself in the water’s reflection as she started to play with it with her dainty fingers. Pidge even thought that she asked some inappropriate questions which made the Blue Lion’s Paladin upset.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she panicked, “I didn’t—”

“There’s another reason why I set this up with you, girls,” she tried to smile as she faced the Green Paladin. “I wanted to have this chance to talk to you like this, about my plans. And Lance.”

Pidge’s face changed, as she thought she had figured it out. “So you knew,” she said, as she asjusted herself on the edge of the pool. “Obviously, Lance is in love with you.”

“I know,” Allura said. “And he and I already talked about it.”

Pidge’s lips quivered in secret.

“And I told him… that I cannot respond to his feelings at all.”

Pidge’s eyes widened when she understood that Allura actually rejected Lance. Well, it was supposed to be expected, but not in the way she imagined.

“Once our fight with Haggar is over,” she continued, “I will be leaving Earth to continue my diplomacy mission through the rest of the galaxies. And I don’t think I’ll be able to bring him with me if ever I’d say yes. Lance has been longing to go back home and now that you are all home, I just can’t take that away from him. Your people needs you here, as the universe still needs me. I choose to continue my father’s legacy, and doing so is enough for me to be happy.”

Somehow Pidge already understood the nature of Allura’s future work, however, “Why are you telling me all this? Are you trying to tell me to take care of that guy!?”

Allura gazed at her. “You like him, don’t you?”

“Wh-WHAAAAAT!?” she moved back.

“The mice told me. We both know that they don’t lie. Plus I've been observing you ever since. You have been harboring feelings towards Lance since you’ve met him.”

“I didn’t say anything to those mice!” she squeaked in disbelief.

“I’m sure somehow they overheard you… But,” Allura pat both her freckled shoulders, “I’m telling this to you because I know and I’m comfident that Lance will still be happy without me around. He may not notice it, but someone loves him more than I wanted to give, and that someone is you. I hope you still stay with him no matter what. So…

Pidge?”

She understands now. Everything was set up so Allura could give Lance to her. It was a miscalculated moment which slowly drains her energy and consciousness, along with the dizzying heat of the pool. She wanted to believe it was all a quiznaking dream…

Lance can’t love someone like her. She’s not someone like Allura. That is all she knows.

“P-Pidge?” Allura tried to call her. “Pidge!? Can you hear me – OH QUIZNAK, PIDGE!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third session is now closed, but Allura's mission to make Pidge happy continues. It is starting to get successful... that even someone like James Griffin has been smitten.
> 
> Will that also help Shiro get some guts to say sorry to Pidge?
> 
> See you in the fourth session!


	4. Fourth Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura decided to seek help from Romelle, Nadia and Ina to kidnap Pidge to bring her to the best bobding moment of her life. Her reason: to make memories while she's still on Earth. And she already made preparations by rejecting Lance's feelings towards her knowing that she won't come back to Earth anymore. Thus she wanted to make him realize that someone loves her. 
> 
> A combat simulator will determine who will win the little Green Paladin's heart! Fourth session is now open!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second half of the gym prompt I di with the most notes, with a combination of another prompt I did. The third contender will now be introduced, hue hue hue.
> 
> Enjoy, bananas!

It was another morning again at the Garrison Gym where it’s yet another time for gals and guys to peek at their favorite gym heroes, and they seemed to have multiplied. One of them, a crowd favorite, happened to be there where he goes to the gym only once a week.

“I heard from Rizavi that they held a date for Katie Holt,” James Griffin, who said to replaced Keith after the latter dropped out from the program, seems aware of the incident happened days ago. “I do have so much respect for her dad but what she showed just proved how immature those Paladins are.”

It didn’t escape Ryan’s attention when he heard his roommate ranting about the Paladins again.

“They came back as heroes but what the hell they’re doing? Kogane’s being a self-centered daddy’s boy, as usual.”

Ryan was just quietly listening to James’ rants while busying himself on his exercise bike. He knows him; being a man who follows everything by book and would bat an eye at anyone who will not follow every rule. But this case is different, he thought.

When Keith said to have dropped out of the Garrison, James ‘replaced’ him as its top student, and unlike his predecessor, the instructors have no questions about his attitude – in fact, they praised him as a perfect cadet every instructor dreams of having. Four years later, Keith came back, along with a team of Garrison’s worst students and aliens from a different planet – but this also include his most revered instructor, Lt. Takashi Shirogane. They came back, surprisingly, as defenders of the universe, bringing the most powerful weapon that can save Earth at the time they were been attacked by Sendak and his Galra faction, and were later regarded as heroes more than how their cadets being treated.

James was even surprised that one of those problem students dressed as a boy for personal reasons: it was Commander Holt’s only daughter, whom he admitted had a crush on the first time he saw her. And thinking about her made him miss a pedal that he almost fell in the bike.

Good thing Ryan caught him by arm.

“Thinking about Holt?” he even guessed.

“Y-you got the wrong idea,” James pulled his arm away, trying to pretend he didn’t think about anything.

“So you’re saying she’s as immature as others,” Ryan continued. “Thought you said you like her once?”

“ _Once_ ,” James emphasized it. “Those were the times that I don’t know what the heck I’ve been thinking.”

“Uhuh,” he pretended that he agreed.

A few seconds later, Keith, Lance and Hunk came in, in their Garrison shirts, for another four hours at the gym. James felt kind of wanting to get away, either out of spite or out of insecurity, but Ryan has his eyes on him, telling him to stay put. Tension started when Hunk saw them and waved at them. Ryan waved back.

“Well, you’re early,” James said.

“And you’re here,” Lance raised his eyebrow.

“Shiro’s orders, Kogane?” he was looking at Keith, pretending that the two others don’t exist.

“It’s kinda part of our schedule,” Keith said. Surprisingly, he is calmer and less of a warfreak than before, in which it convinced James that space has changed him for the better (?). “Matt and Allura wanted to conduct a sparring session after a warmup, so—”

Sparring. It piqued his interest and smirked. “Mind if I join your sparring session?” he asked. “Kinda got rusty since you disappeared.”

Keith understood that part that he smirked. “I don’t mind,” he said. “It’s been a while—”

“Hey,” Lance joined them, “he promised me a spar first--!”

“You better be prepared, Kogane,” James said (shoving Lance like he doesn’t exist), “I’ve been itching for things like this,” and he joined them as they went to other facilities that they can use before the session starts.

It irked the Cuban as he followed them instead, while Hunk just sighed. “Did you really asked Keith _that_?”

“There’s no need for me to ask,” he said with confidence, “we’ve been in space together – well, most of the time, but I wanted it first!”

“Can’t wait to see you on the floor begging for your life,” he smirked.

“What kind of friend are you!?”

Suddenly, Ryan touched his shoulder, that made Lance almost jump in surprise. When he looked at him, the taller man guessed it right…

“…Were you crying last night?”

That question brought his memories back two nights ago when he confessed to Hunk what happened with his conversation with Allura. Just last night, he didn’t notice himself crying in his sleep – something that he doesn’t want to admit even at death.

“J-just had itchy eyes,” Lance lied. “Other than that, there’s nothing else. Just needed my bed some nice change of sheets,” and he followed Keith and James afterwards.

Hunk and Ryan just looked at each other. This gave the bigger young man a chance to tell a fellow cadet the truth. “It’s heartbreak,” he said to Ryan. “Believe me he’ll wear those puffy eyes for the whole week before he gets over it.”

Ryan just raised his eyebrow.

*****

“So sorry for the wait!” Allura finally arrived in her usual gym getup and a towel on her shoulder with three others behind her. Nadia and Ina were invited as well.

“You’re just in time,” Keith turned around. “Matt’s not here yet.”

“Matt?” she blinked. “But I thought Shiro will—”

“Just got a text saying he can’t make it today. Commander – I mean, Admiral Holt called him for something.”

“Looks like he’s been super busy lately,” Nadia noticed. “That’s Captain Shirogane to ya.”

But for Allura, that is a bad thing, since she already arranged this sparring session for Shiro and Pidge to have a chance to talk.

_Last night._

“I’m planning to conduct a sparring session tomorrow and you should be there,” Allura said just after Shiro came out from a short debriefing.

“Sounds like a great idea,” he said, smiling.

“Also, I think this is a good opportunity to clear some things between you and Pidge. She’s been down lately after you scolded her. She already learned from her mistakes and I think she deserves an apology.”

“I know,” he sighed. “She’s probably thinking that I’m avoiding her out of shame but the truth is…”

“It looks like your job as Captain of the Atlas has taken your free time away. Are you planning to quit?”

He couldn’t help but to remember how he scolded Pidge for ‘selling her own teammates out of charity’ that he regretted doing so after seeing her face about to cry in shame. After that, he even asked himself why he didn’t say sorry right away until several meetings have passed in three days.

“We’re getting more and more information every day concerning Haggar’s possible plans,” Shiro said, “and those information can’t just be ignored. We’re all doing whatever we can to make sure we’re prepared.”

“And you’re sacrificing your time to fix personal matters with your team?”

He turned silent, but took only a while before he replied. “To be honest, Allura… I never felt ashamed after what happened. I… I don’t know how to face Pidge and the rest of the team after that.”

Instead of pitying him, the Altean just chuckled. “Been thinking that you and Keith also switched personalities after he took the Black Lion again. He’s slowly growing up just like you.”

“That I don’t regret,” he scoffed. “Regarding your plan, I’ll make sure to come.”

_But where is he now?_

“The meeting will only last approximately thirty-three minutes and twenty seconds,” Ina tried to calculate, “if that will include minor interruptions.”

“Let’s hope that’s the case,” Allura said. “Besides, it’s still too early to assume he won’t come.”

Surprisingly, Lance is not joining their conversation, either because he has no idea how a ranked officer’s schedule is like or because of Allura who, whether he hates to think about it or not, will remain in his heart, and he underatands that she will value duty first ovet personal matters. But at the same time, he finds it painful that she chose to carry her father’s work than longing for a normal Altean life.

That didn’t escape Keith’s attention as well. Just like Ryan, he also noticed Lance’s puffy eyes, and he could tell it’s more than just allergies, but he decided to keep quiet about it.

“We’re here!” Romelle waved at the group, who also wants to join in today’s sparring session, pulling someone from behind. All looked at her but the boys wore strangely shocked faces, not on her, but on the girl with her.

It was Pidge who, instead of coming in her usual baggy school-required Garrison shirt and sweatpants, she wears the same shirt – except cropped, and dark green low-waisted cropped pants. Her usual short hair was also tied up. It wasn’t her usual getup thus she felt awkward when she entered the gym, especially that all eyes on her, especially Keith, Lance, and…

“Griffin?” Ryan called his teammate whose face has been burning bright red the moment he saw ‘the other’ Pidge after several years. To wake him up, he poked his neck—

“ACK!”

They all looked at him. Keith, for some reason, glared at him like he wanted to grab his blade and slash his eyes anytime. It made James extremely conscious that he has to avert his eyes away from Pidge, although there are seconds that he couldn’t help but to peek at her again.

But whoever is extremely conscious about oneself, it will be Pidge, who felt like she wanted to go back to her room right now to lock herself up.

*****

“Wow, Pidge, Allura did _that_ to you?” Hunk tried to guess while they are starting to warm up while waiting for Shiro. As far as he remembered, he saw her being kidnapped by the girls to do some Earthling bonding exercises.

“Not a word, Hunk,” Pidge threatened wwhile doing some stretches, face blushing red and is starting to get annoyed, “not. A. Word—”

“Allura picked these clothes for her,” Romelle replied on her behalf (oh crap, the Green Paladin’s mind also blushed in embarassment), “while Nadia suggested to trim her shirt so I did that! Just look at her, isn’t she stunning? Rather than wearing those ridiculous clothes, I think it’s time for her to show how pretty she is! Allura agrees, too--!”

“I doubt if I could move in this,” Pidge sighed.

“She’s only been on Earth for months,” Hunk said, “but she already knows what to pick for you. Plus there’s nothing wrong with that kind of fabric…”

“Yeah, it’s a great mix of spandex and polyester but I feel naked unlike what I feel when I wear my undersuit.”

She wanted to cry thinking she was totally exposed but she wasn’t, in some sense. Or maybe because of those three boys staring like her, while the boys were trying not to stare at her for that long. Meanwhile, Allura has been watching her creation’s reaction to herself and the boys that an idea came to her mind.

But before that, “Alright, kids,” Matt suddenly slammed the door open, “hope you’ve warmed yerself up ‘cuz—

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA KATIE! What the hell are you wearing!?”

Matt almost choked on her own saliva to see her sister in her, well, most daring gym outfit in his opinion, seeing her waist exposed, that he took off his jacket and covered her while glaring at the boys to death. Pidge just sighed.

“Quit it, Matthew,” she seems pissed. “Allura picked these clothes for me.”

“Sh-she did?” he stepped back.

Allura later dragged him gently in one corner and began to whisper something, which made him wear different faces and nodded occasionally. Meanwhile, some gymgoers and passers-by began to notice this sexy little girl whom they have never seen before, until she took out her glasses case and wore Matt’s famous glasses – much to the shock of others.

“Th-that’s Gunderson!?”

“Gunderson’s a GIRL!?”

“Stupid, Pidge Gunderson doesn’t exist, remember when Com – I mean, Admiral Holt said that was his daughter?”

“Oh no I’m in love with her—”

“You have a girlfriend, dumdum!”

Pidge’s new looks drew passers-by and even gymgoers who decided to stop what they were doing to see what the Paladins and MFE Pilots are doing in their gym time. But their attention all went to her, and it slowly decreases her confidence.

Allura later noticed Pidge after talking to Matt and realized the effects of putting her in those gym clothes which alarmed both of them. As they were about to warn those spectators, who were mostly boys…

Keith, Lance, and even James stepped forward, surrounding her so no one will see her except them. The way they protected Pidge’s dignity surprised Pidge, herself.

“This gym’s to discipline yourselves and not to watch someone,” Keith said coldly.

“Shame on you who have girlfriends,” Lance glared at them.

“Do you want us to report all on you to Admiral Holt?” James threatened.

“GET LOST!” Hunk shouted at the spectators which made them run with fear.

Pidge didn’t expect these boys to defend her in that awkward situation, which made her face pretty red. Despite how she looks right now, Pidge is still Pidge for her three best friends, while she didn’t expect James to do the same even if he isn’t part of their circle.

“Oh no, Pidge,” Allura rushed to her, as well as the girls, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t expect those boys to look at you that way—”

“Nah, I’m okay,” Pidge’s cat-like grin returned, showing signs of relief in her, “they’re not worth it, anyway. Besides, they backed me up!”

She pointed at the four boys who defended her.

“Can’t believe there are still creeps in this planet,” Hunk sighed.

“I’ll have this reported directly to Commander Iverson,” James assured.

“Y-you don’t have to,” Pidge stopped him, “I’m sure with your faces, they won’t dare do _that_ again—”

“They still have no respect, dude,” Lance said. “I know some of their faces, I know who their girlfriends are, I can easily tell them that—”

“Pidge is right,” Keith cut him off, “we don’t have to resort to those things or it’ll just grow worse.”

“Yeah,” Pidge agreed. “I already made a mess a while back so let’s make sure that won’t happen again. Besides…”

She smiled at Allura, then to the girls who kidnapped her yesterday and made her day the best ever.

“I’m already okay. Somehow it brought my confidence back. And,” she jumped and started to do some punches and kicks, “I’m beginning to like what I’m wearing now! The fabric’s not like what we have in our undersuits, but it’s not subpar. It’s letting you move without thinking you’re naked or something, and…”

Pidge starting to say technical jargon made them convinced that she is definitely back to her old, geeky self.

“Alright,” Matt clapped his hand, “alright, looks like everything’s fixed now, and I already understand what is going on, so,” he called Ryan, “Hey, can you do me a favor and close the blinds?”

“On it,” Ryan followed right away, as he started to close each blind since they are within a see-through window, just to make sure no one will stop by just to ogle at Pidge. But Matt has other plans aside from that reason that Allura was also involved in it.

“We’ll still be waiting for Shiro,” Matt continued, “but we won’t waste time, either. So while we wait, I’ll have to measure your vitals while you’re in a close combat simulation, starting with the three of you,” and he pointed out to the first three boys who defended his sister. “Yeah, I wanna say thanks for saving her back there. No wonder she trusts you so much. And,” she smirked evilly, “I heard also that you’re trying to win her heart, huh?”

It popped Pidge’s eyes. “Wh-WHAT!?”

Even the boys were trying to deny it, but the older brother didn’t give them a chance to explain. “List’n up, donkeys,” he growled while initating Commander Iverson, “try t’ogle at ma’ sistah or I’ll grab yer eyes out an’ feed ‘em to BaeBae. Understand?”

The three couldn’t understand the fear crawling in their veins when Matt threatened them like they will never see the light of another day. But just to prove that they will never do anything to hurt his precious sister…

“S-SIR, YES, SIR!”

“Good,” his smirk remains (which Pidge finds it creepier than those people stopping by the gym window to watch her), and he later looked at “Hunk, do you still have the Pocket ECG that you made a while back?”

Hunk immediately remembered what Matt described to him. “Oh, yeah, it’s in my room!” and he approached the door. “Lemme get that in a minute…”

It made the rest curious. “What’s your plan, Sergeant?” Nadia asked, although the title was just a joke.

“I’ll need to have records of their progress,” he replied. “Krolia needs them to devise a new training program that can cater both the Paladins and the MFE Pilots.”

Keith blinked when he mentioned his mother.

“We don’t have time,” and Matt glared at the three boys. “Take off your shirts. Now.”

It took them seconds before the boys realize what Matt wanted them to do. While Pidge could feel her jaw dropping six feet below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fourth session has been closed with Matt's order to take their shirts off. Is it for the ECG-recirding thing or is it something else that will make Pidge decide?
> 
> Speaking of decisions, Shiro has decided to face Pidge to say sorry. But he's not prepared for what is happening in the gym, though.
> 
> Just wait for the fifth session, we're close to the finish line!


	5. Fifth Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was surprising for Ryan Kinkade that James Griffin has a huge crush on Pidge back when she was just Katie -- and things are about to get wild when Pidge came to the gym the next day in a new look that Allura tried for her. Of course, it caused too much distraction but the boys saved the day which lifted her spirits up. Matt was up to protect his baby sister from being defiled but Allura cleared things up which caused him to ask Hunk to get something from his room and to order the boys to strip. 
> 
> Don't guess what will happen next. Fifth session is now open!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for not clearing this up later: in this AU, Commander Sam Holt replaced Admiral Sonda as the head of the Garrison. So, boom.
> 
> So here's the, ehem, fanservice part of the story. I even designed Pidge's gym looks which you could find on my side blog. SPOILERS, though: someone almost broke the fourth wall. Oh well, enjoy!

_Garrison Briefing Room._

“It’s good that we finished the meeting earlier than expected,” Admiral Sam Holt took a sigh of relief. “Guess this is good news for you, Shiro.”

“More time to check the team, Admiral,” Shiro replied. “Haven’t had a chance to bond with them after five days.”

“Matt’s been a helpful aid when it comes to training them,” he suddenly sighed. “How I wish I’m still young!”

“You’re young, yourself!”

“A year of being captive by Zarkon is like spending a hundred years, it’s really horrible. Anyway,” and he checked his phone, “it’s still too early. You can go ahead with Krolia. I’m sure Katie’s excited to see you again.”

Shiro felt like he was been stabbed by Sam with a javelin on his back when he mentioned his daughter. The bad thing is, Sam has no idea what happened in the gym five days ago, and he doubt if Pidge told her dad what happened. Or maybe she told Matt. He wasn’t sure what to do anymore.

“Are you okay, Shiro?” his tired face didn’t escape the Admiral’s eyes.

“Y-yeah,” he tried to be normal. “Bet they’re starting without me.”

*****

“Take off your shirts. Now.”

When Matt ordered the three boys to take off their shirts, Pidge could feel her jaw dropping six feet below. What’s his purpose!? She was about to protest, but…

“Is this for the ECG thing?” James guessed.

“Duh!?” Matt replied haughtily. “I won’t be able to record your body progress with your clothes on, idiots.”

She almost fell to the ground anime style when she totally forgot why her brother asked Hunk to get the pocket ECG. She even thought that this was another of Allura’s weird matchmaking ideas…

Or so she thought.

Romelle could see Allura’s face smiling like a cat guessing that the scenario in her mind is starting to form as she expected, in which she would like to find out more about it but seeing her face made her scared to ask. Nadia, however, could read the ex-princess’ thoughts, being someone who’s also into shoujo mangas.

“A typical shoujo plot won’t be complete without fanservice,” she said, wearing the same cat face as Allura.

Romelle heard her and has never heard those words before. “Shoujo? Fanservice? What are those?”

“Good question! If you know already about comics, _shoujo_ is one popular type aiming for teenage girls which mostly involved high school romance.”

“I’m afraid I haven’t heard about it before. But can you tell me more?”

“Absolutely!” and she pulled a book with pink-frilled cover with roses and violets to show it to Romelle. “This,” she pointed it out, “is a shoujo manga. It will tell you typical stories of shy girl meets bad boy and later the shy girl becomes the center of every hot boy’s attraction. See this,” she flipped one page showing a group of around three to four boys in an apparently a beach chapter where they were in their swimwear, “this is fanservice. Two reasons: to show a reason why these boys should be with this girl, and to show the reason for girls to buy the story.”

Romelle just raised his eyebrow. “I don’t quite get it,” she admitted, but, “I like it!”

Meanwhile, since they finally understood why Matt would ask them that, James started stripping first, followed by the other two. As they have tossed their shirts away, the leader of the MFE Pilots paused and stared at the two Paladins’ even-toned bodies…

Just like Shiro, they were mostly covered with scars. Lance has the biggest scar on his back, which he had gotten when the old Castle of Lions was attacked for the first time that led him to a coma, while Keith has a lot, although not as much as Shiro has, but he obtained them mostly when he joined the Blade of Marmora.

Compared to himself, James has only one to two scars: one on his shoulder and the other on his left temple, both were gotten from trainings – something he didn’t see as great as what those two have. For that part, he suddenly wanted to say sorry for calling them immature, not realizing that they have gone through more than he did.

Allura wasn’t expecting Pidge to scream like a real girl after seeing them shirtless, but to make her realize the hardships they went through and to help her appreciate the fact that they made it out alive and those scars can be added now that the final war draws near – or so the girls thought. Pidge, meanwhile, was speechless to see those scars that it saddens her. To her, those scars have deprived them of a normal life they wanted to have, especially Keith who once chose to drift away to join the Blades as one way to find himself more. She clearly remembered Lance’s scar, too, where she even thought he will die at that time.

She didn’t notice her heart racing and her cheeks flushing.

“Was it just me or they just got hotter?” Nadia wants to fan herself to see how hot these three boys have gotten. “Pidgey baby, you’re one lucky gal--!”

“Scars are formed by replacing the same tissue through cross-linking through tissues to seal a wound which makes it permanent and more visible,” for some reason, Ina suddenly blurted out about scars as she turned around so she wouldn’t see any naked person – or so they thought.

Later on, Hunk finally arrived with a bag of pocket ECG which Matt asked him to get – and stopped for a while to see three boys shirtless in front of Pidge who was just standing there staring at them while Allura was on one corner with three other girls with a smug face, Nadia’s eyes sparkling, a confused Romelle and Ina facing the wall. Ryan, meanwhile, is tinkering his cameraphone. It was the most surreal scene he saw.

“Do you have it?” Matt called him.

“Uh, yeah,” Hunk realized that he needs to move on and handed the bag to the rebel soldier. “So, uh, what the heck’s going on here?”

“Don’t mind them,” he stood up after getting something from the bag, “let’s get to work—

HOLY TESLA!???”

Matt almost dropped two watch-like things from both hands when he saw his own sister taking off her glasses and cropped top to reveal her altered strapped sports bra to match her cycling shorts determining the forming curves of her little body. Even the three boys turned around after becoming a blushing mess.

“P-PIDGE!?” the older brother handed the watches to Hunk right away to grab his jacket to cover her. “What are you doing!?”

“I’ll be fine,” she smirked, “I can move better without a shirt. Besides, it’s just us here, the windows are covered, this will be a great opportunity to test your newly-invented ECG,” and she took one from Hunk and removed her left armband to wear it on her left wrist. “I don’t mind being your test subject—”

“I know but there are _boys_ looking at you--!”

“I can kick their crotches anytime if that will help. Allura taught me that.”

“P-Pidge, I think,” Keith was trying to hide his reddening face, “y-you need to put back your shirt, y-you know…”

“W-we know you once dressed up as a boy and we hang out,” Lance added, “b-but you’re still a girl a-and I can’t just—”

“W-we’re different from you, Holt,” James wanted to breathe normally while facing back, “b-besides, i-if Admiral Holt finds out about this—”

Pidge just sighed. “Can’t believe I have more balls than you do,” and she snatched the ECGs from Hunk and started to attached them to each of the boys’ wrists, starting with Keith’s. “You’re trying to help me cope with my issue for the past few days, so let me repay you like this…”

Keith was speechless. Seeing Pidge act normally even in front of three shirtless boys made him remember one instance when he and Lance have to defend the castleship in their swim shorts but it didn’t bother her, maybe because she is used to it considering she lived as a boy for almost a year. It made him realized he is far more conscious than she is.

“We don’t talk much except during debriefings and such,” it was James’ turn to have his wrist wrapped with ECG, “but hey, you’re smart enough to power up a hybrid-engineered fighter plane, so I wanna get to know you more this way.”

He can’t look directly to her face. Here’s his (ex) crush talking to him while putting ECG on his wrist. He has seen her several times before the Kerberos tragedy and he didn’t realize the big change she went into when she became a Paladin of Voltron. He began to regret calling her immature a while back – what he saw was actually the opposite of what he thought about her.

As she is attaching the ECG to James’ wrists, Nadia seems to enjoy their unexpected interaction. As she looked at Ina to agree, she noticed something different…

Ina Leifsdottir, known for having a poker face in any situation, showed emotion for the first time since they became classmates. And that emotion is something only reserved for a certain person. It was a mix of awe and jealousy, and Nadia was so hecking sure, that she decided not to disturb her in the meantime.

*****

Finally, Pidge went to Lance, and for some reason, her face heated up after glancing at his surprisingly toned body. She grabbed his wrist right away, putting the ECG on his wrist.

“Allura and I talked about you,” she confessed.

The memory of a painful rejection came back to him like a bullet to his head. He clearly remembered how Allura was trying to reintroduce Pidge to him, which could be the same thing she did when she and Pidge had a girls’ day out. Without realizing it, Pidge remembered why Allura did so.

“Uh, a-and what about it?” Lance still asked, although he already has this feeling that Allura told her about her plans once the war is over.

She smirked. “You wanna know?”

“I have this feeling that I already do,” he gulped.

“That’s good,” and she turned around and walked away from him. After a while, she faced him again, and her face changed, much to the confusion of others.

“There’s something I wanna confirm from you in front of Allura,” she said. “I know this isn’t my forte, but…

Give me your answer, Lance Serrano. Fight me right here, right now.”

It was a total plot twist from Nadia’s mind while everyone else were in a state of mixed confusion and shock when Pidge declared a duel against Lance out of nowhere. Matt almost lost his mind after hearing those from his own sister’s mouth.

Ryan remained in focus while filming everything – even though they haven’t started yet. “Why the heck are you even filming that!?” Hunk caught him.

“This is for research purposes,” Ryan said.

“I’m having this feeling that Rizavi asked you to do this.”

“She paid me to do this.”

He rolled his eyes.

"Hunk!" Pidge suddenly called him. "Can you be the referee?"

"Wh-WHAT!?" He dropped his jaw. It is starting to get surreal: first, he came back seeing them shirtless in front of Pidge, and Pidge, herself, took her shirt off, and now she is asking him to ask as a referee between her and Lance. There is, indeed, a lot to process, and he is torn where he will need to react.

"Y-you need to think about this twice first," Hunk wants to be sure. "First, you're small. Second, we both know that Lance doesn't fight girls. Third, you are _absolutely_ nuts. Wh-what if some Garrison officer will come here!? What if Shiro comes here, and--"

“—Guys, what the…”

Before anyone, especially Lance, could give a reaction on Pidge’s challenge, and before Hunk slap his own face after mentioning _that_ name in a coincidence, the Captain of the IGF-Atlas, Shiro, has finally arrived in his gym uniform, excited to train with the rest of the team, but what he saw wasn’t exactly what he expected to see in the gym room especially now that it answered his confusion as to why the window blinds were lowered.

And it seems like his plan to apologize to Pidge might have to set aside for good after seeing the youngest Paladin in her skimpiest gym outfit surrounded by three shirtless boys, two of them seems unexpected to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what will Shiro do now that he saw, well, everything? Will the apology and justice ever be given to Pidge? But most importantly, will Lance accepts her challenge?
> 
> Next session will end all that. And to everyone who wished for this AU to be written and took the time and guts to read, thanks so much in advance! See you in the final chapter!


	6. Sixth Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Keith, Lance and James have no choice but to take their shirts off as Matt instructed, with James' insecurity starting to show, but also made Pidge understood the battles the team faced together because of the scars Keith and Lance bear. As such, Pidge took off her shirt as well to show solidarity, much to her brother and the boys' shock, and started to wear the ECG watch in her own wrists before giving the rest to the shirtless boys. As she gave the watch to Lance last, she suddenly challenged him to put a closure to their relationship -- when Shiro finally arrived.
> 
> The dilemma's not over yet. Sixth session is up!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sincerest apologies for not posting the next chapter as soon as I could because of sudden changes in my work schedule. Also, I have realized that the story will not end here yet.
> 
> Yes, this is still the sixth session. Because reasons. And BTW, why 'Serrano' as Lance's last name? It was 'rumored' to be his last name but to be honest I'm not also sure. So...
> 
> Anyways, enjoy, bananas!

“What the…”

Shiro caught the team in a somewhat awkward situation: Pidge in her most daring gym outfit she ever wore, surrounded by Keith, Lance, and even James – without their shirts. The rest were just looking at them before he arrived, with Matt holding his jacket, Ryan and Hunk filming everything, the girls on one corner except Ina who was staring at the wall with a flustered face.

Pidge felt like she got hit by another strike, this time it’a critical hit – and good thing it was only Shiro who showed up. If her dad happened to be with Shiro, who knows what will happen next.

James started to panic as he tries to find his shirt, but—

“I-it’s not what you think!” Lance began to explain, “we were asked to strip for the ECG thing--!”

“This has nothing to do with Pidge, Shiro,” Keith assured. “Mom’s conducting a research to come up with a training strategy—”

“Just doing my job here,” Ryan said innocently.

“Shiro, it’s not what you think,” Pidge finally spoke. “I did this on my own free will, and—”

“Enough!”

Shiro raised his voice, causing total silence within the room. No one tried to open their mouths, not even Allura, who instead was greatly worried with what he will say afterwards. In all honesty, they are all worried that he might scold Pidge again, in front of her brother and everyone, and not to forgive her again.

But instead, he immediately knelt down in front of the Green Paladin, bowed his head, hands in front, and said…

“Pidge, I’m sorry!”

Hunk’s jaws locked open in shock, while the rest just looked at him in unexplained reaction to their faces. Pidge, especially, just looked at the older man with one eyebrow raised, while feeling freakingly embarassed to be knelt down by none other than the Captain of the Atlas.

“I have so many things in my mind at that time,” Shiro explained. “I didn’t think that you’ll get hurt in the process. Of course what you did was wrong, but I shouldn’t be so harsh on you. I heard from Allura that you’ve thought about it deeply that it affected you that much, so I’m so sorry. I’m not sure how I’m going to make up to you for what I’ve done.”

No one dared to speak.

It wasn’t normal for an older officer like Shiro to humble himself to a mere cadet, but putting on a Paladin’s perspective, it is starting to get understandable. While Pidge’s freckled cheeks began to fume red again after seeing him kneeling, her mind jumbled up with what she has to say.

“Sh-Shiro, y-you don’t have to do this,” Pidge tried to stop him. “It’s obvious who’s the wrong here, I know you’re just concerned about me—”

“B-besides,” Lance tries to add up on her behalf, “no one’s reputation has been harmed, all good! And uh,” he looked around to find his shirt, “j-just forget what you saw—”

“Oh, _that_ ,” somehow Shiro managed to lift his head and saw the boys – and Pidge, almost naked, which made them step back for a possible maximum scolding, “yeah, I actually requested that to Krolia. Sorry if there’s a misunderstanding…”

A long, awkward silence followed.

“I should have told you earlier,” Matt grinned in embarassment, “but Allura said not to mention anything. Besides, no one expected Pidge to be… you know…”

“About that, too,” Shiro followed up, “Krolia also said to include the girls but they can do it on a different time. But looks like we have to do it in one go, so I guess you don’t have to worry about your sister, Matt.”

Hearing that from the older officer made him feel relieved, but he still has to keep an eye on those boys who will take advantage of his little sister, Meanwhile Keith just wanted to disappear from the face of the Earth after finding out the truth.

_Mom, why…!?_

*****

AND SO both the Paladins and the MFE Pilots ended up wearing Matt’s invented portable, wearable ECGs and losing their shirts to allow him to record their vital progress, much to the boys’ loss of blood with the exemption of Keith and Ryan who tried to maintain their composure while averting their eyes away (although deep inside they are starting to melt in embarassment), while, in the case of Ina, she tried to think either she or they are invisible without having a chance of nosebleed. Allura and Nadia find themselves comfortable in their sexiest sportswear they saved in their lockers, letting Matt lose his concentration as he kept several packs of tissues to wipe his nose and ended up being a part of a massacre. While Romelle served as Ryan’s replacement in recording the session with Matt’s help, of course.

Hunk felt out of place seeing himself in the company of these quiznaking sexy boys vying for Pidge’s love and one of them is about to face her – as she requested (with Shiro’s approval), while the rest are concentrated in watching the faceoff that was about to happen.

“So why am I included in here again?” he tried to remind himself.

James heard him, but unlike Hunk who seems out of place, he felt so exposed that he wanted to excuse himself and hide – but he has no choice but to stay since it is an order from Shiro.

“You heard Captain Shirogane,” he said. “It’s an order.”

“That includes hitting the gym without our shirts, huh?” Hunk surprisingly replied.

“Well, Matt is right. ECG can’t measure our vitals if we have our shirts on.”

But that is _not_ exactly the Yellow Paladin’s point.

James isn’t that dumb, though. He looked at Hunk, sitting in the same fetal position as him, trying to hide any fat that he has, while James, himself, is trying to hide any exposed skin he has, to no avail. He wanted to slap himself at that thought, until he noticed that Hunk is also wearing the same face as he has.

“If I say that you’re not totally fat,” he went straight at him, “how would you respond?”

Hunk didn’t expect those words from someone who has been a jerk to Keith years ago – and for that, he could tell that he really grew up. He didn’t mock him or even questioned about his body, instead trying to test the waters on how he will react to that phrase.

“Samoans have normal bodies like mine,” Hunk said. “Dad ain’t fat. I was just born like this. It’s not that I’m complaining—”

“I don’t think there’s nothing wrong with you if that is normal,” James said. “Sumo wrestlers are fat. Some football players are fat. Weightlifters are mostly fat. But their arm muscles and reflexes are their strongest assets.”

Is James trying to make him feel easy?

“My uncle’s a PT and he taught me everything about body diversity. Being muscular doesn’t mean you’re strong. Being fat doesn’t make you look weak. Even tall people have strong advantages—”

“Well, you certainly look like a quiznaking twig but you sure have a lot of guts and reflexes like Keith. Believe me, he is a twig with the strength of 100 lions.”

“Because he’s a half-Galra?”

“Nah. He _is_ Keith. He’s one fluffy ball of pure rage—”

“Are you talking about me?”

Both didn’t realized that Keith was just beside them, listening to their conversations which ended up talking about him. James just sighed.

“Looks like you’re not bothered about this,” he said.

“Are you?” Keith asked.

“In some sense, yes. Have to be honest with you about your Mom—”

“Oh I guess it’s best not to talk about it and pretend that Krolia didn’t ask for this,” Hunk tried to sit in the middle of the two, avoiding any possible misunderstandings that have occurred seven or eight years ago, and faced Keith. “Just insecurity issues, man.”

“You don’t have to pretend that I didn’t hear anything,” Keith grumbled. “I’m too grown up to deal about it.”

James whistled. Keith really grown up from those rebellous years. He thought that being a Paladin of Voltron, especially being its leader, has changed him a lot, which he finds it impressive.

“You’ve changed,” he smirked.

“So are you,” Keith replied--

“But his feelings for the Holt girl didn’t change at all,” Ryan said, casually.

It was the most awkward silence ever, putting Hunk in the odds as he slowly made sure he is perfectly stuck between the two original rivals who might be vying for Pidge, who was currently about to strike at Lance in a sparring session.

*****

_During the most awkward conversation ever…_

“Y-you don’t have to do this,” Lance tried to convince Pidge not to face him even in a simulation. “Y-you know me, I don’t hurt ladies unless they’re Lotor’s lackeys--!”

“That’s the challenge there,” Pidge said. “What if you’ll face someone who looks like me? Or pretends to be like me? Or worse, I betray everybody? How you’ll deal with it? If you will stuck in that situation, you can’t rely on anybody but your own instincts.”

Lance has never been in that situation before so obviously, he doesn’t know how to face it, especially if this is related to someone he’s close with. Those are possible situations, knowing Haggar, after what happened to Shiro, who knows if he will need to fight a clone of any of his friends to survive? But the thing is, it’s Pidge who he needs to face.

Caught between following the simulation and his own morals, the Blue Paladin couldn’t help but to remember the times he tried to help her and save her, thinking that is what friends are supposed for. Until Allura brought up an unexpected question…

_What do you… think about her?_

For four years, he has been chasing on other girls, most especially Allura, but he never chased Pidge nor flirted with her. Is it because he once knew her as a guy? Lately his heart is starting to skip a beat whenever he sees her, and her she is, facing him, in the most revealing outfit ever wore by someone like her.

This isn’t suppose to happen.

He didn’t even notice her attacking. “She’s about to get you!” Shiro warned him.

Good thing Lance managed to dodge her punch by lunging down and rolled away. “That’s cheating!” he even cried.

“There’s no cheating in an actual fight,” Pidge said, forming her fists again. By looking at her, he know how freaking serious she is. “C’mon! Are you even a man!?”

Meanwhile, Matt knew that the portable ECG worked when it started to record their vitals. He could see Pidge’s growing progress, while Lance’s stats remained the same, probably because he isn’t prepared. He started to take notes, but for some reason, he became drawn with their match, although it was pretty lame. There is surely a reason why Pidge chose Lance to be her opponent, not because he is an easy one, since she won’t be that serious if she will be facing someone who has minimal to zero combat skills.

Bonus thing is, she has minimal combat skills, either, judging by how awkward she fights, but the will is there. For what reason?

“Is it just me,” Matt tried to figure out, “or is she trying to say something to Lance?”

“Oh, she didn’t tell you?” Romelle then asked him while filming their match, “Allura knew that she has a crush on Lance ever since and I heard that they talked about it, that’s what I know.”

He stopped typing. After he immediately figured out something behind that lame fight, Matt felt he’s about to have a stroke.

*****

“Get serious, man!” thankfully, Pidge stopped, but still pumped up. “You’re a Paladin, right!?”

“I’m not prepared for this, okay!?” Lance was trying to make an excuse.

“You can’t prepare yourself for a fight on the spot! You do better than this!”

“I just don’t understand why you picked ME!?”

“War chooses no one, dumdum! I told you to think about me as someone possessed by Haggar! A doppleganger! A CLONE! You can’t just step back because it’s me! What if I’m not!?”

“That’s not it, Pidge,” he loosened a bit, looking at her. “Why did you pick _me_ on this? Are you… Are you trying to say something to me? D… Did Allura told you something about me?”

Silence followed. Except for Keith’s group who were currently talking about their insecurities, they were all looking at the two Paladins. Shiro, meanwhile, is starting to get confused that he glanced at Allura, probably the only person aside from Nadia who was enjoying every scene.

“Do you know about this?” he asked her.

“I just helped,” Allura replied. “I think this is the right time for Pidge to settle things with Lance. Besides…”

She remembered her last conversation with Lance which she thought ended up well, knowing that it might be the last time that she could talk to him personally.

“He is more needed in his home,” she added, “surrounded by people who are dear to him… especially for someone who has been hiding their feelings for him for a long time. I’m not in a position to ruin that. And besides, I’ll be leaving Earth to continue my diplomacy mission once this is all over…

And I can’t take Lance with me.”

Somehow, Shiro began to understand the drama behind the match, on why Pidge wanted to spar with Lance. She took this opportunity for him to confess, in front of his friends, about his stand, now that he knew that Allura will leave soon… and she might never come back. Shiro, himself, finds it amusing and confusing at the same time, knowing that this is an unlikely way to confess to a guy she has a crush on. And knowing Pidge, she will not resort into this kind of situation if she wanted to get Lance’s answer.

Still confused with what is happening, the former Black Paladin decided to watch everything until the end, in which the next scene made everything more complicated as Keith steps in, one fist forming, and suddenly landed a straight hit in Lance’s face.

It somehow woke Pidge up. “What the – KEITH!?” she turned to him.

“Keith, what are you doing!?” Shiro tried to stop him. But for some reason, Allura’s face didn’t change at all.

Lance tried to stand up, caressing his punched face. “What the hell,” he groaned. “What’s your problem--!?”

“I’ll be switching with Pidge,” he declared. “You’ll face me instead.”

Lance just stared at him, while Keith looked at him like he wanted to kill him anytime now. Nadia was about to scream and to grab Ina to scream with her, but for some reason, she stopped when she noticed her fellow MFE pilot staring at James, who didn’t interfere when the leader of the Paladins finally snapped after quite sometime. In this case, being a top cadet, he should have stopped him, but he watched him going to Lance instead for reasons that only the boys know.

And Hunk seriously wants to poison Ryan for messing things up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a duel between Lance and Keith! And James decided to concede for some reason. The reason is just waiting for him.
> 
> \-----
> 
> I'm so very very very very very (100x) damn sorry.
> 
> Finally I managed to update one chapter and I'm hoping to post another (possibly last) one after this ASAP. So please wait for the seventh (and possibly the final) session!


	7. Seventh Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro finally apologizes to Pidge, and later found out that the shirtless session was all Shiro's idea, as the Paladins ans MFE pilots ended up stripping their shirts for science. As Hunk tries to battle out his insecurities, James admitted the same, making Ryan drop a bomb while Pidge is sparring with Lance for the ultimate answer to the ultimate question -- if not for Keith whose temper fired up again, pulling Pidge out to replace her as Lance's opponent.
> 
> Will the Seventh session answers all the whys in this previous session? Let's find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE!!!
> 
> Seventh session is here. This is to make up with the lost days when I'm supposed to post, ugh. But here it is: pining galore, lots of buuuuurn. Good quiznaking luck!

“His feelings for the Holt girl didn’t change at all.”

It was just like Ryan threw a bomb between Keith and James where Hunk is the casualty. None of them reacted when he suddenly blurted out about the MFE leader’s hidden feelings for Pidge, so before the bomb exploded, the bigger man decided to stick himself between the two contenders.

“Hunk,” Keith blinked, “what are you doing--?”

“Stopping the war,” Hunk said.

But James sighed. “If you actually like Miss Holt,” he said, “why would I stop you?”

The two Paladins blinked.

“Listen, Kogane,” he finally confessed, “I like her, but that was years ago. It’s not that I don’t like her anymore, it’s just that I don’t feel I’m that guy for someone like her.”

They find his reason so deep that they decided to listen.

“You’ve been with her in space,” James added. “You know her better than I do. And I don’t think she’ll look at me like she looks at you and her team. I guess… it’s time for me to move on and be happy for her in case she—”

“The thing is,” Keith suddenly turned gloomy, “I didn’t stay that long with the team, either. I… I had my own journey with Mom for a while, around two years in the quantum abyss.”

The two MFE Pilots looked at him in disbelief. Hunk, most of all, decided to stay quiet and slipped behind him.

“I never had a chance to stay that long with them,” Keith added, “because back then, I’ve spent a lot of time finding out who I am and where I belong. I even made up my mind on joining the Blades for good until I found my mom again… So I guess you wouldn’t count the years I’m in space all by myself—”

But Hunk suddenly hugged him, in front of the two other boys.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t like someone anymore,” he said.

“Pidge likes _Lance_ , okay?” Keith said, looking away, trying to accept the truth—

“But _you_ like her,” Ryan guessed, which made him blush wildly.

“That,” James said, “is one reason why I don’t wanna be part of something complicated—”

“So you’re using Kogane as an excuse not to like the Holt girl anymore?”

“Shut up, Kinkade.”

“So,” Ryan turned to Keith, “you’ll just set that aside like what Griffin did? Obviously you like Holt, but letting Serrano get the credit just because she likes him first? I just heard from Veronica that he’s after that alien princess, it’s obvious what his priorities are.”

They all suddenly looked at Ryan and were all shocked not because of what he said, but because of the fact that…

“Did you just,” Hunk pointed at him, “talk?”

Their conversation got interrupted when they heard Pidge’s voice yelling at Lance. At that time, their sparring session has started with a dare to challenge her, but it wasn’t what Lance wanted.

“Get serious, man!” she said. “You’re a Paladin, right!?”

She hasn’t landed any punch yet, but the poor Cuban is already tired. “I’m not prepared for this, okay!?” he made an excuse.

“You can’t prepare yourself for a fight on the spot! You do better than this!”

“I just don’t understand why you picked ME!?”

That question started to trigger Keith’s anger, not because of impatience, but because he knew, and he wasn’t that dumb to know, that Pidge likes him ever since, and the reason why she chose to fight him to make him realize his feelings. But Keith also knows at one point that Lance and Allura already talked about her plans, the reason why his eyes ended up red and puffy – and yet he acted like he has no single freaking clue on what exactly is happening.

_Two days ago, after the coalition meeting._

“Y-you’re leaving?” Keith blinked, after Allura revealed her plans to him.

“Yes,” Allura said, although a bit heartbroken. “Everything is prepared, but it won’t be right away. I want to make sure everyone will be aware.”

Keith understood. “But you can surely stay here. I mean, I know that Alteans are good at adapting into any environment. Y-you don’t have to—”

She patted his shoulder.

“I know that you don’t want me to leave,” she tried to explain, “but I’m just doing what is best for the universe. Spreading peace and diplomacy is my job as a former Princess and a Paladin to ensure nothing will happen like 10,000 years ago. Besides, I know that _someone_ will be upset if… well, if I stay here.”

Keith’s eyebrows furrowed. “S-sorry, I don’t understand—”

“Tell me, Keith,” she faced him, “have you ever… had a liking to someone?”

The question made his face redder, which made Allura chuckle.

“I knew it,” she said. “You _like_ Pidge.”

He wanted to explode. “Th-that’s nuts. Besides, she likes _Lance_. A-and we barely talk together, especially—”

“What will you do if, one day, Lance will hurt Pidge, and she needs someone to console her?”

It’s starting to confuse him. “Wh-why are you asking me all this!?”

“Why do you think so?”

“Allura!?” his patience is starting to get thinner.

“Understand that I’m asking these questions because you’re feeling the same thing as I do.”

He paused as he noticed Allura’s eyes already in tears.

“ _I_ like Lance,” she finally admitted. “However, I cannot commit to someone without hurting another. I’ve only learned recently that Pidge likes him, so I thought of doing something for her to be happy especially after what happened earlier. Also, believe me, my remaining people needs me more than before, and I want to rebuild Altea the way my father did way back.

I know that we’re thinking the same thing at this moment: You like Pidge but you know that there is someone better for her that you decided to concede. I admire how you have grown up so much that I’ll be relieved that you will take care of your team more than yourself. I’m just doing the same thing for my people. And I hope and I pray…

_They will be happy.”_

*****

“War chooses no one, dumdum,” Pidge tried to convince Lance to fight her fairly. “I told you to think about me as someone possessed by Haggar! A doppleganger! A CLONE! You can’t just step back because it’s me! What if I’m not!?”

“That’s not it, Pidge,” Lance loosened a bit, looking at her. “Why did you pick _me_ on this? Are you… Are you trying to say something to me? D… Did Allura told you something about me?”

Keith was finally convinced: Lance Serrano is the dumbest person he ever met.

(Almost) everyone realizes that Pidge has a thing for Lance, while Lance is still desperate to get Allura’s attention despite the fact that she already rejected him that day, and it irritates him. It’s like how in the universe Lance still has some guts to ask Pidge why she wanted to face him in a sparring match while it’s already so obvious to everyone in the gym.

An idea came to the little half-Galra’s mind that will surely wake this stupid guy’s head up. He stood up, forming his fist, and landed a punch at Lance’s face.

It didn’t just wake him up, but also everyone else, especially Pidge.

“What the – KEITH!?” she turned to him.

“Keith, what are you doing!?” Shiro tried to stop him.

Lance tried to stand up, caressing his punched face. “What the hell,” he groaned. “What’s your problem--!?”

“I’ll be switching with Pidge,” he declared. “You’ll face me instead.”

“WHAT!?” they chorused.

“You heard me. Now get up! Unless you’re a chicken—”

“Who’re you callin’ chicken--!?” he succeeded in provoking Lance by standing up, about to strike at Keith, but Shiro immediately ran and stopped them.

“This is a sparring session,” he said, “not a duel to death! If you’re planning to do that in front of Pidge, do that somewhere else--!”

“Shiro, please,” Keith turned to the officer, “just one time! I wanna make him realize something—”

“I’ll make you realize you’ll end up in the Garrison’s infirmary,” Lance threatened—

“PIDGE LOVES YOU, you quiznaking piece of crap!”

It didn’t just shocked Lance, but also everyone else. And Pidge felt like crumbling like from the last Marvel movie she watched recently.

Those are the things everyone is trying to say to him, yet he remained blinded by the fact that he still loves Allura despite the rejection – without realizing that there is one girl who has been into him since day one. It’s his entire fault for not listening.

“She just wanted your answer, stupid,” Keith finally snapped. “Why not answer back!? It’s because you’re too busy chasing over something impossible while you have what you’ve been freaking looking for all along! Grow a quiznaking third eye, Serrano! Unless you want me to punch those eyes and feed ‘em to the comsic wolf--!”

“Agh SHUT THE HELL UP, KOGANE, YOU’RE NOT HELPING!”

Pidge was so fed up by everything that she didn’t expect Keith to back her up for her plan – and she didn’t ask him to. While Shiro wanted to quit everything after what he has seen because of a girl, but seeing Allura’s unchanged face made him realize something that is worth banging the head to the wall for.

“Don’t tell me,” he sighed, “ _you_ planned _all_ of this—”

BOINK! BOINK!

Matt finally stepped up, knocking both Keith’s and Lance’s heads, when he decided to take the matters in his own hands.

“Apologize to Katie,” he said, growling low. “Or else, I gonna promise to feed not just your eyes to BaeBae, but also your guts. If you’ll just show her how freaking dweebs you are, then you don’t deserve her at all.”

Both of them are just silent. Both can’t look at Pidge out of shame. Pidge, meanwhile, didn’t expect nor wish for these things to happen. And it all just started with her stupid idea of selling them for charity. For some reason, she thought that everything was her fault.

She had enough. She took off her ECG and threw it at Hunk.

“I’m tired,” she said. “I’ll go back to my room. My laptop’s probably done with the updates…”

She picked up her shirt and towel and left.

Out of shock to her walking out, no one dared to chase her, while Shiro was still looking at Allura, finally wearing a face of disappointment after figuring out that it somehow didn’t work the way she imagined. He approached her…

“Seems like it didn’t end up the way you wanted,” he guessed. “Any ideas now on how to fix this?”

Allura didn’t answer, either she has ran out of new ideas or she is just too tired to answer.

As everyone remained silent at the aftermath of what was supposed to be a productive training session, Nadia kept on flipping the shoujo manga book she showed to Romelle, and for each page she is flipping, her eyes slowly grows bigger, as if every scene she saw today reflects the same thing as what she was reading, giving her major goosebumps.

She immediately shuts the book and hugged it out of fear. “Yikes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's next for James? Will Ina finally speak up? What will Keith do? Will Allura be able to fix the mess? What will be Lance's answer to Pidge's feelings? Will Pidge get the happiness she deserves?
> 
> Will everyone else gets a break?
> 
> Okay, this time it's for real: the gym session will be open for one last time.


	8. The Culmination?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth went out. Matt is pissed off. Pidge is tired of everything. Lance is the last to know, even if Keith actually hid his own. James conceded, but it's not yet over for him. And Allura slowly realized the mess she made that even Nadia realized that the ex-prrincess unmindfully directed the scenes in the shoujo manga she was just reading.
> 
> So what will happen now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this is the longest chapter in this series with all the pining, confession, making out, regretting life choices and all, since it is the culmination of everything...
> 
> Or is it?
> 
> Enjoy!

Krolia was on its way to the gym, as she was planning to do so with Shiro to check out the cadets if not for an unexpected call from Kolivan, when she noticed a little auburn-haired girl in a skimpy gym outfit running away and seems in tears. She immediately recognized the girl, but she was too confused to follow her.

“What’s going on?” she asked herself, that she decided to get into the gym, until she saw a tall human boy with golden brown skin possibly trying to follow the girl who ran away. It brought her more confusion that it made her decide to move on to find out more.

When she arrived, she just blinked at the sight of seemingly-tired crew packing up to wrap up the day. Shiro was just sitting beside a distraught Allura, while the rest are back in their shirts except for Keith who seemed too tired to dress up. She even noticed Matt who seemed pissed off at her son.

“What happened?” Krolia looked around. “You’re supposed to do sparring exercises for the simulation—”

“The session’s off,” Matt snapped. “Ask your son why. I have to find Pidge.”

He got up, picked his jacket up, and went out of the room.

Having that said, she looked at Keith, but “Not now,” he sighed. “I wanna take a shower first, then—”

“Uh, how do you turn off this thing?’

Romelle was still holding Ryan’s smartphone and has no idea that the recording is still on. As soon as the African-American MFE pilot realized it, he immediately snatched the phone from her, checking the time and from there he realized that it has been recording everything for the past 40 minutes.

“Perfect,” he snickered, as he finally tapped the Stop button to stop the recording.

“Wait a minute,” it also made Hunk realize that the recording has not stopped yet and looked at Romelle, “are you telling me that you’ve been holding that for almost _an hour_!?”

“Well,” Romelle said innocently, “he gave it to me,” she pointed at Ryan, “and he said to help him with it.”

“And do you even have _any_ idea what kind of help he asked for you?”

“Hold on, hold on,” Krolia interrupted them as she is starting to feel the headache, “nobody told me anything yet, why are you not doing what Shiro told you--?”

“Here,” Ryan replied, showing the video that will answer all her questions, while as much as Keith would like to snatch that video and throw it away, he couldn’t out of will to do so, plus he couldn’t just hurt an innocent phone for just one stupid video.

Meanwhile Nadia went back to the group a bit distraught, still holding the comicbook. “Don’t tell me you’ve been reading manga the entire time while everyone else is in chaos,” Hunk said.

“It’s more likely than you think,” she said. “Allura’s a scary visionary. She arranged _everything_ like what happened to the story.”

“What the heck are you talking about?”

She gave the book to him. “Just read it,” she sighed. “Don’t ask why.”

Hunk decided to follow. Flipping some pages, he came across some scenes which he even thought is a déjà vu. As he skimmed each page, he gets paler, saying nothing else but “Quiznak…!”

*****

“Looks like you messed it up this time,” Shiro said to Allura, who quietly slipped into her shirt before heading to the lockers.

This isn’t supposed to end like this, she thought. All she wanted is to make Pidge feel better on herself, and being surrounded and wooed by three young men, including Lance, is one kind of a milestone for someone who didn’t grow up like a normal lady should. But in the end, she realized that human relationships are more than she thought complicated.

“I thought I’ll be able to make her happy,” she said. “It appears that I ended up doing the same thing she did days ago.”

“To be honest,” Shiro replied, “I don’t know if I’ll be laughing this time or I have to totally scold you. But I guess I’m as tired as everyone else here. Or maybe because…

This reminds me of my days back when I was a cadet here, back when people enjoying pairing me with anyone else like some kind of a typical teenage romance flick. But I didn’t end up with a girl, though.”

She blinked, as she has an idea about his life back then. “Are you referring to Adam?” she asked.

Shiro smiled, but bitterly, remembering those days when he and his ex, Adam, have been paired with girls but eventually ended up living together, until they broke up and the engagement was called off days before his flight to Kerberos.

He never thought that it will be the last time they will talk to each other.

“There’s nothing wrong with making people happy,” Shiro just said, “letting them discover themselves, living the teenage dream, talking about love and stuff to the point that it’s getting too much and ending up hurting anyone. At the end of the day, they’ll talk it over and forget everything until they grow it out. Pidge is still growing up, she’s new to these things, since she’s been into robots and computers almost all her life. One day, she’ll decide where she will go and who she will end up to without anyone pressuring about her choices.”

He looked at Allura.

“You’ve chosen to experience how Earthlings socialize before your upcoming departure, and I think that’s cute. It’s just that not all people will be comfortable with things like this.”

Her world has once changed when she met Lotor, and she thought what she felt for him and what he did to her will finally determine what her heart stands for. Until he ended up as corrupted as his parents and broke her, and eventually she learned that an Earthling, more than that, a fellow Paladin, has genuinely shared his feelings to her but ended up getting rejected for a nobler cause.

Allura thought that now she knew that Pidge has a secret strong feeling towards Lance, and seeing that Keith is hiding the same feeling towards Pidge, she thought of doing this thing to understand more of Earthling relationships without realizing that she ended up enjoying everything cruelly that she lowered her head in shame.

“There are so many things I still do not know about your planet and its people,” she said. “That is why I decided to expand my experience as a diplomat. I may not be able to stay here for long, I’m still happy that I have became part of your culture,” and she turned to Shiro. “I would like to talk to Pidge even just for the last time, and I would like to apologize for everything. I didn’t mean any harm with this. I still hope I can make everyone happy in some way.”

“You still can,” he smiled. “Admiral Holt is planning a barbecue party in their ancestral cabin in Salt Lake and he is inviting us in. Sounds like a great plan to me. What do you say?”

Sounds like, indeed, a great plan, that she smiled, which could only mean one answer.

*****

Lance tried to follow Pidge to the lockers and he even thought he had lost her until he noticed the light from a room.

From there, he could hear bags thumping, lockers crashing, several grumbles and sobs from the room. And just as he guessed, Pidge was there, pulling a towel from her bag sobbing.

“H-hey,” he tried to call her. She heard him when she stopped, but only for a few seconds before she decided to ignore him.

“Pidge—”

“Leave me alone,” she was shaking.

“Pidge, please—”

“I’m tired, okay--!?”

“KATIE!?”

She stopped completely, staring at Lance in disbelief. She was about to ask him how he knew what her real name is, as she haven’t mentioned it to anyone else for the past four years except Shiro, but…

“M-Matt calls you that almost all the time,” he explained, “so I thought…”

But he lost his strength to explain after seeing Pidge with unstoppable tears, as the guilt is slowly screwing his heart deeply.

“L-listen,” he still tries to explain himself, “I… I have _zero_ quiznaking idea about it. The moment they are starting to push me to you… even Allura… I even thought they’re all joking. I get it, Bob’s right, Zarkon’s right, I’m the dumb one… Can’t you believe I’m the last person to know that?”

Her tears still won’t stop, causing him to tear up as well out of extreme guilt.

“If Keith hadn’t told me about it… If Matt didn’t kick me out to follow you… I wouldn’t even realize it, even a single clue. So,” he sniffed, “I’m sorry…!”

He tried not to cry in front of the girl. At the very least, he wanted to show Pidge his brave side, but the guilt around the fact that he is the last person to know only makes him want to bawl in her behalf. Four years of blindness has caused his heart to ache in confusion. For four years of chasing girls, especially Allura, one girl has been hiding her feelings for the sake of friendship.

What Lance has been looking for all those years is just near him, beside him, fighting alongside him all this time.

Pidge somehow calmed down after seeing his most guilty face yet, and this time it’s not even funny. But she didn’t say anything.

“Guess you’re tired of waiting for me, huh,” he tried to joke but he knew it wouldn’t even sound funny. It only made her sigh.

“To be honest with you,” she finally spoke, “I’m _this_ close to giving up,” she showed her index finger and thumb close to touching each other. “Even if Keith chose to stay quiet about it, let’s be honest… Allura is _irreplacable_. Even if she has already rejected you, your heart still has her. Everything about her. And I have come to realize that I cannot win to someone like her.”

Another awkward silence followed. No one dared to look at each other out of embarassment, but Lance could feel Pidge slipping away. The only girl who looked at him more than just a friend and fellow Paladin is starting to lose hope on him, worse than losing hope on him while losing in a segment of Garfle Wuffle Snick.

“Are you,” his voice broke, “are you pushing me away, too?”

Allura decided to push him away for his sake, and he understands that. But Pidge pushing him now after just realizing everything is a totally different thing, and it makes him scared as hell.

“You know that I want to,” Pidge said in all honesty, “but it’s either I’m too tired now or just… I just don’t feel like pushing you.”

“Okay,” he gave a heavy sigh. “Before you push me away, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“If you’re asking for a rematch—”

“NO, listen,” he bit his lip. “If you.. If you can go out with me… Tomorrow… We’ll have pizza… Ice cream… We’ll watch your favorite movie… We’ll play Killbot Phantasm 1… Anything you like…”

In short, a date.

Pidge has no idea what to answer now that Lance suddenly asked her on a date after ignoring her feelings for four quiznaking years that she just chuckled, until she started to laugh like she heard the best joke ever.

Lance just blinked in confusion that he thought it was an insult. “H-hey, I’m not some kind of a rich kid to take you to an expensive restaurant with all the violin music and stuff--!”

She managed to catch her breath and wiped her tears away before she grinned.

“It’s so damn cringey to think _that_ is just one of the reasons why I fell in love with you, Lance Serrano.”

*****

James left earlier, minutes before Krolia arrived, out of exhaustion. He didn’t do anything much in the gym, in fact, he didn’t do anything at all, but he felt so damn tired after seeing all the drama where, for the first time, he got involved.

He grabbed a towel to take a shower when…

“Can I come in?”

He almost slipped to the floor when Ina showed up on the door all of a sudden.

“Wh-what are you—” he covered himself with his own towel. He wasn’t able to finish the question because—

“There is supposed to be eighty percent of probability that you’ll chase Holt to the lockers,” Ina said, as usual, a matter-of-factly. “But you’ve chosen to let Serrano chase her. Not even Kogane dared.”

“Well, it’s obvious,” he sighed. “There is no point chasing her from here.”

She tilted her head in confusion.

“She _was_ my crush, but I’ve come to realize that I’m out of her league,” he admitted. “Not because of our status differences, but because on how she formed her bond with her teammates. It’s… _genuine_. No pretence or whatsoever. I can’t be on her league without knowing her more, but I thought I’ll pass this time.”

Ina understood, as she sat in one of the benches, smiling in secret. “Their bond can’t be explained by pure math and science alone,” she finally said with a little light in her words. “We can’t just simply amplify our own stats just to be like them. They are _their_ own league, we have _our_ own. But we do have one thing in common.”

It confused James. “W-why are you telling me this? Is that why…”

Ina didn’t say anything afterwards, as she went straight closer to James, almost trapping him against the wall. Her hands slipped in both his shoulders that his towel dropped on the ground, allowing her to explore the broadness of his shoulders and the smoothness of his skin.

James couldn’t move out of shock that he let her explore him a bit until Ina reached for his lips. It was electrifying in a good but confusing way. Ten seconds of shock were felt in his entire body before his fellow pilot let him go, but as their eyes met…

For the first time, he saw the stoic girl’s tears.

Before he could even ask another question, Ina lets him go, took a few steps backward before walking away. She was so fast that it took James a few minutes before he realized what happened. And by the time he realized everything, she is gone.

He blinked, but good thing he thought fast enough to get out of the locker room to run after her.

“W-wait! Leif!”

He almost tripped his foot but he managed to get up right away as he tried to chase her.

“Leifsdottir!”

Ina was already halfway through the hallway when James managed to catch her, but she was walking too fast. Trying to get her attention and after realizing that he became as painfully dumb as Lance, he reached for her hand…

“INA!!!”

He caught her wrist.

She didn’t turn around, she just stopped, as she decided to let James talk with a hope that he will get it. Good thing, he isn’t as dumb as she thought.

“…Why didn’t you tell me?” his voice broke.

Ina slowly turned around, her eyes are overflowing with tears but she still managed to smile.

“Telling you what and how exactly I feel about you, unfortunately, isn’t part of what I am programmed for,” and he wasn’t sure if she just made a joke.

“But you’re _not_ a robot!”

“I didn’t say I am. I conditioned myself to be this way.”

His brain couldn’t understand anything anymore. As far as he knows, Ina has been hiding her feelings towards him ever since, and thinking that he still likes Pidge might have hurt her a lot. As his response, James pulled her closer until he could also reach her lips.

Ina was as shocked as him when he finally answered her with a kiss that she let him stay on her lips longer until they lose their breaths. As soon as they let each other go to gasp for air, James noticed Ina staring on her right, obviously turning pale.

When he also followed where she was looking, his jaw dropped hard when he noticed Ryan and Nadia passing by supposedly to hit their respective lockers. Even the other two were wearing shocked faces to see their leader and resident whiz making out in the middle of the hall.

It was monumental, Ryan thought, that he took a photo of them making out.

“DELETE THAAAAAT!!!” James screamed.

*****

“So that’s what happened,” Krolia said as she finally understood what happened in the gym, while Keith tells her everything while in the shower. “Do you think what you did is just right?”

Just in time for that question, her son got out of the shower drying his hair with only his spare sweatpants. “How would I know?” he just asked. “If Pidge can’t tell the truth on her own, might as well tell it to that idiot—”

“ _Without_ her consent?”

That’s just part of the problem, and he hated to admit that he is wrong at some point yet he understood the consequence. He hurt Pidge in that process.

“I didn’t mean to,” he admitted. “I feel like I’m now on Matt’s hitlist.”

“It’s not proper to apologize to her older brother,” his mother said, “but to show your sincerity, you should apologize directly to her. You can’t fool me, I’ve been in an Earthling way of falling in love to the point that I almost decided to keep it to myself for someone else’s safety.”

He looked at her in curiosity. “Y-you mean you almost didn’t tell Dad that—”

“If I didn’t have the courage back then, I won’t be able to bring you into this world. Just imagine me keeping myself quiet while your father was with someone else.”

Keith could imagine the pain if that might have happened. He wouldn't be alive if that was the case. Until he realize something else behind what Krolia was trying to say to him, until she snatched that chance.

“Tell me, Keith,” she asked. “Do you like this Pidge girl?”

His entire skin turned red.

She smirked. “I can tell.”

“Y-you know she can’t go out with me,” Keith shove it off, “we’ve been in space but we barely talk in person – I mean, uh, I don’t know much about her yet. B-besides, I’ve spent most of the time with the Blades, so—”

“That’s not the point, Keith. It’s your feelings that we’re talk about here.”

At that point, Krolia is right. It doesn’t matter if they didn’t stay together that long, as long as (yes he admits it) he has feelings for Pidge. But what he also considered is the fact that she spent her time more with Hunk and especially Lance that no wonder her feelings for him slowly developed – only that the latter was just plain stupid to realize it.

“And what about it?” he pouted. “Even if I tell her, it will be pointless. Especially after what I just did earlier…”

Krolia sighed. “I can’t believe the leader of Team Voltron will just give up because of a cute human girl.”

“It’s a different case--!”

“You’ve sacrificed too much to the point that you’re hurting not just other people, but yourself. I don’t think it’s different from what leading the team means when Shiro appointed you as his successor.”

At that point, Keith slowly realized that, again, Krolia is right. How many times did he already sacrificed himself and his own happiness for the team? He managed to finally get the happiness he’s been looking for but this is, indeed, a different case…

He pushed the girl he secretly loves to the person he knew will be needing the most.

He didn’t realized his own tears falling. The last time he cried was when Shiro disappeared during the Kerberos Mission. He didn’t expect himself to cry over a certain girl. Krolia came to his rescue by hugging him, letting him cry until he cried enough.

“I dunno what to do, Mom,” he sobbed.

“Of course you know what you _need_ to do,” she whispered.

He let himself feel his mother’s warmth until he is calm enough to find Pidge and the courage to say sorry to her.

*****

“You okay, Pidge?” Matt was worried, even after seeing his sister already in a good mood after she and Lance finally agreed with a date to get to know each other better. Both are already in their respective uniforms, with Pidge in her custom Team Voltron cadet uniform in green.

“Never been better,” she said, beaming.

“So Lance asked you on a date after what happened!?” he sighed. “Quiznaking unbelievable.”

“Hey, at least we’ve come into an agreement to start over – in _that_ way,” she gave a heavy sigh. “I’m just glad that I’ve took it off of my chest—”

“Except that _someone_ did on your behalf,” Matt was still salty about it.

“Yeah, but I don’t think about it anymore,” and she walked past her brother. “I’m hungry. I heard Mom will make steaks tonight!”

His mood somehow lifted. “Sweet--!”

“Pidge?”

Both stopped when Keith managed to corner them. Matt’s protective brother instincts kicked in when he shielded his sister from him.

“I’m still disappointed at you, you know,” he glared at him. “Plus you just came from a shower, have you no shame!?”

“I know, but, please,” Keith sighed. “Matt, can I talk to Pidge?”

“And WHY--!?”

“Hold on Matt, I got this,” Pidge stopped his brother as she voluntarily stepped forward to talk to Keith, knowing that the latter still has to say…

“Pidge, I’m sorry!”

He bowed his head, in which it made her pause in surprise. While Matt just raised his eyebrow.

“I’m so sorry about earlier,” Keith stayed bowing at her. “I thought… I thought that will help you make Lance realize how dumb he is… without realizing you’ll get also hurt. Guess I’m back with who I once was.”

He lifted his head, but he still couldn’t look at Pidge in the eye.

“You’re right. I tried to help you but I made things worse. And I even owe you a day to be your gym partner.”

That fact surprised her. Keith didn’t forget his promise that he wanted to bring it up again. Pidge, however, already decided to stick with Matt but seeing how guilty he was made her want to think twice.

“J-just forget about what happened,” she said. “The damage is done, but I know that you’re just trying to help, and—”

“I’m just trying to make up with the lost time while I was with the Blades… especially when I shouted at you one time for prioritizing your family over the universe.”

It made her blink again in surprise. How come he still remembers that? “It’s been four years, Keith, how did you even—”

“I’ve been trying whatever I can to talk to you in private but you know… S-so many thing happened. B-but,” he sighed as he finally got the courage to look at her in the eye, “after what happened, and after learning what you’ve been through just to get your family back, it made me realize some things and I made them into my inspiration to look out for mine. You made me think of my own family that I thought I won’t be able to find anymore. Aside from Shiro and my mom… I’ve found my _family_. My own team…

I’ve found _you_.”

Those words made her cheeks burn. She knows that Keith won’t be the type who will say those kind of cheesy things except when the team needs his encouragement and in this case, it’s more personal. He even looked at Matt and tried to approach him. What for?

“Matt,” he looked straight at him, “you won’t believe this, but…

I'm _in love_ with your little sister.”

Matt couldn’t count how many times his jaw already dropped with what is happening the whole day. Meanwhile Pidge is starting to scream internally. As much as she wanted to wish that Keith is just joking, from the looks of his blushing face, he is not.

“I thought I should let you know first,” Keith continued, “since I know you’re just trying to protect her. B-but I thought it’s time for me to come out and I really want you to know that. I also wanna say sorry for everything.”

He couldn’t speak out of shock. So is Pidge, who was just staring at the half-Galra with an unexplainable, soaking-red face. Things turned out more interesting when Keith faced her again, cheeks heavily slapped red, but brave enough to look at her face.

“Y-you don’t have to answer right away,” he said. “I-I know that Lance already talked to you about what happened but I thought I also have to s-say a piece of my mind… I don’t mind being rejected right now or still wait for you… At least I did what I have to do.”

He stepped back.

“G-gotta go,” he tried to smile as genuine as possible. “Uh, I guess, s-see you later?”

“Y-yeah,” Pidge waved her hand awkwardly. “Th-thanks for telling me, Keith. I’ll definitely… need more time to think.”

He understood as he ran back to the lockers to change, leaving Pidge more confused and conflicted than ever. He knew that she likes Lance, so why would he suddenly confess his feelings indirectly?

Unless, at that time, and it made her wobble to realize, that Keith has been lowkey jealous of Lance all this time.

Matt, meanwhile, could feel his world spinning after realizing that so many unexpected things happened in only a day. _My sister,_ he was getting teary-eyed, _she’s all grown up…!_

*****

None of them fully realized that Hunk heard everything when he was staying at the gym hallway as he was waiting for Lance to dress up. When Keith passed by, he tried to turn around to hide. Luckily, he didn’t notice him.

He was sweating to the point that he wanted to get out of that place at that moment, until he went back to the lockers when Lance was just done buttoning his uniform.

“You okay there, buddy?” he asked.

“Y-yeah,” Hunk tried to answer. “S-sorry, b-but can you go without me? Need to go to the washroom.”

Great excuse, but good thing Lance is _that_ dense. “Suit yourself,” and he waved. “see you later in class!”

Hunk managed to leave him in the lockers running until he loses his breath. He just wanted to escape. Things unexpectedly heated up – even _literally_ to the point that he didn’t want to get involved anymore. But that’s the thing: it heavily involves three of his closest friends, including that MFE guy. It’s one heck of a reversed harem manga story just like what Nadia was reading a while ago.

It conflicted him. Should he tell Lance? Should he give advice to Keith? Should he tell Pidge to decide? For the first time, Hunk felt out of place, until…

“Hunk?”

Of all the people who will find him, it has to be Shiro, all alone. The urge to tell him everything just became stronger.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Y-yeah,” Hunk tried to breathe. “Uh, I thought Allura’s with you,” he tried to change the subject.

“Oh, Coran needed her, so I thought of extending the invite alone.”

“Invite?” he blinked. “What for?”

“Admiral Holt is hosting a barbecue party in their place in Salt Lake, and I thought knowing you, you wouldn’t say no.”

“H-heck yeah!” the invite, itself, distracted him. “I can bring Mom’s barbecue recipe, Admiral Holt and Colleen will surely love it – wait, WAIT!”

Shiro blinked. “S-something’s wrong about it?”

“N-nothing’s wrong, i-it will be the best. Party. Ever. But here’s the thing,” he took a deep breath, “ _war_ is coming. Earlier than expected.”

Shiro’s relaxed face turned tense the moment he heard about the war. “H-how sure are you--?”

“D-don’t get me wrong, the party’ll surely be cool – but I won’t be sure with Keith and Lance partying on the same roof.”

He raised his eyebrow.

“Don’t you get it!? It’ll be hecking WAR! The thing is, Lance already invited Pidge for a date tomorrow now that he knew that she is in love with him while Keith just confessed to Pidge earlier and Matt saw everything – and another thing is, Lance has no freaking idea about the confession thing and Keith has zero idea that Lance already asked her for a date! Imagine the chaos, Shiro! And, you know, as their friend, I’m totally conflicted! That Griffin guy is already out of the picture, but those two – THOSE two – could get in war with each other because of PIDGE! Sorry, but if Allura planned all this, _this_ could be one hell of a mess in the party!”

Shiro was speechless. Either he doesn’t understand any of it or he understood but he has no idea on what to say. “S-so,” he tried to think, “what do you—”

Hunk suddenly grabbed both his shoulders. “Please look after Keith,” he begged, “I’ll look after Lance. We need to make sure nothing funny will happen that will ruin Pidge’s appetite and it will only make Matt more pissed off! Help me on this, man! I don’t want our friendship to crumble because of a quiznaking love triangle!”

Shiro just stared at Hunk without any clue on what is going on nor what will happen in the upcoming barbecue party. But all he knows is that he is dead tired inside from what happened a while ago and all he just wanted is to take the offer and relax without the drama…

But it looks like things such as love triangle still has to be supervised and fixed by none other than the Captain of the Atlas, himself, after realizing that the aftermath of the gym incident is still far from over.

_Oh, for quiznak’s sake._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...The end?
> 
> It looks like it's far from over. For now, this is it.
> 
> THANK YOU for those who asked me to write a fic based on the prompts I wrote in my side blog. Didn't expect to turn out this way, ugh. 
> 
> To those to read, gave kudos and commented to this fic, a big THANK YOU as well! And hope to see you on the next fic... maybe?
> 
> Find me on [this page](http://bananatron.tumblr.com)


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